Capital: MBNA Files $750M Shelf Registration

MBNA Corp. filed a shelf registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission to offer up to $750 million in debt securities, preferred stock, and depositary shares representing preferred stock.

The filing comes at a time when the credit card specialist is under pressure to reduce its ratio of loans to capital. Standard & Poor's Ratings Group had put MBNA on a negative outlook, citing concern over the ratio.

The company denied the issue was a response to S&P."This is part of the normal funding operation of the company," said Vernon Wright, a senior vice president at the Newark, Del.-based bank.

MBNA said it plans to use the filing to issue medium term notes, and senior debt. The shelf registration is an extension of an existing $600 million filing that was last extended in March of 1994.

"I think frankly that all the specialty credit card companies continue to expand their market share," said Craig Stine, a vice president at Salomon Brothers Inc. "There is an ongoing need to finance that growth."

Mr. Stine said that asset securitization accounts for only 70% to 80% of financing needs, but that, "at the end of the day, there is more unsecured financing that will be done."

Analysts said that other credit card companies had sizable growth in their receivables, and also might look to the capital markets to ensure capital levels acceptable to the rating agencies as well as to fund their rapid growth.

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