UBS has decided what Credit Suisse investment bank assets it will retain and what will be placed in a non-core and legacy division to be wound down over time.
The plan is to only move certain positions into the UBS investment bank “where integration is both feasible” after taking into account considerations around legal entities, tax, and systems and “where there is economic or franchise value”, according to a memo to staff, seen by IFR.
The memo said the investment banking leadership team of Rob Karofsky, Bea Martin and Mike Ebert had identified which Credit Suisse positions would be retained. More details will be given when the bank issues second-quarter results on August 31.
Ebert, head of Credit Suisse for the investment bank, will manage the teams responsible for the positions that fit the integration criteria immediately. He will also have responsibility for other positions that will move across during the remainder of the year.
Where debtors have sought to refinance facilities in which Credit Suisse and UBS are syndicate members, bankers at other institutions said UBS has already sought to exit some positions to avert “concentration” risks of over-exposure to certain credits.
“We have had a few A&Es [amend and extends] where Credit Suisse are a big lender and it’s sometimes quite tricky as UBS have come in and are determining which assets they like and which are non-core,” said one banker, adding that it made some refinancings harder to agree.
Martin, head of non-core and legacy and president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and UK chief executive, will be responsible for two sets of positions to be moved into the wind-down division.
A portion of those positions deemed to have “franchise value and key relationship considerations” will be sold with input from UBS's investment bank. The rest will be run by teams in the non-core and legacy unit.
UBS has in a place a loss-protection agreement, whereby the Swiss government will pick up SFr9bn (US$10.35bn) of losses beyond the first SFr5bn that UBS will take. These will be covered by a separate arrangement.
Before its rescue takeover in March, Credit Suisse had planned to halve the risk-weighted assets in its non-core unit by the end of 2025. UBS is expected to accelerate that process, and has budgeted for SFr14bn of losses.
Ebert will still be responsible for Credit Suisse’s client coverage and research teams in its investment bank. The memo said that to help with integration, secondments will be used to allow Credit Suisse staff to work with UBS bankers and vice versa.
Karofsky, president of the investment bank, has also been analysing Credit Suisse’s investment bank based on its people, clients and countries of operation, separately from specific asset positions. UBS has already indicated that it wants to make the most of Credit Suisse’s US investment banking strength.
UBS has traditionally been stronger in investment banking in Asia-Pacific and in equities. It said its strengths in China and Australia would balance Credit Suisse’s stronger presence in other parts of South-East Asia.
Overall, UBS said its global banking unit would have a higher number of senior bankers, “much closer to the level of bankers at US peers”, and be one of the “highest-ranking European-based IBD [investment banking division] franchises”.