Gerdau Garners Five MLAs for $2.75bn Loan

Gerdau’s tier of MLAs for a $2.75bn syndication is growing, with bankers saying the financing is enjoying strong interest from a number of prospective lenders. Lead banks JPMorgan, ABN AMRO and HSBC have accepted participation from Standard Chartered, Sumitomo and Banco do Brasil, in addition to the previously reported Tokyo Mitsubishi and BBVA. Tickets are $300m apiece for participation in the 3-tranche financing that includes a 5-year trade related piece at Libor plus 100bp, a 6-year trade piece at Libor plus 125bp and a 5-year working capital facility at the same spread. The deal is the first major syndication to be launched following the credit downturn, and bankers say pricing is attractive, given the quality of the credit.