Securitization and Structured Finance Post Credit Crunch: A Best Practice Deal Lifecycle Guide

21

Author’s toolbox

21.1 OVERVIEW

The following section provides you with an insight into my own toolbox—whereby “tools” can be either a simple list, a collection of information, a graphical representation of areas that would require otherwise lengthy narrative to describe, useful spreadsheets, further mention and discussion of third-party vendor tools, website references to trade bodies and free information portals, and other “tricks of the trade”.

Many of these tools require Bloomberg access and some basic Excel skills—something most banks and other financial institutions are readily using or supplying to their employees. Depending on which business area someone is working in, there may already be access to either a shared Bloomberg terminal or, even better, a standalone one. Because Bloomberg has become such a useful tool for the structured finance market and after having undergone a major function evolution during the credit crisis, I have included a comprehensive section on Bloomberg tools.

Granted, there may be additional requisites to turn these tools into “powertools”, as you may need, for instance, access to rating agency websites or need to be a subscriber to third-party services such as Bloomberg and ABSnet. However, such subscriptions are not at all unusual and their relative costs could be considered affordable when compared with the large sums of money that are traded in the structured finance marketplace.

A good way of trying out some of these products and ...