Financial Structured Products

Raymond James’ Commitment to the Structured Products Market

The use of structured products or derivatives in the municipal marketplace has increased substantially over the last several years. Issuers are using structured products to (i) lower borrowing costs, (ii) adjust the fixed/variable rate debt portfolio mix (iii) reduce interest rate risk, or (iv) maximize monetizing the value of the tax risk. In light of this, Raymond James’ senior management has recently made a committed effort to provide fixed income derivative capability to corporate and tax-exempt issuers. We have developed a coordinated team comprised of structuring/pricing, legal, and credit specialists for all transactions. The team assembled at Raymond James has extensive structured products experience. Specifically, the firm has several seasoned professionals dedicated to the analysis, pricing, and execution of derivative transactions. Additionally, the firm has dedicated resources in the credit, legal, and operational realms for smooth transactional processing.

The firm has served as principal and structuring agent to both taxable and tax-exempt clients over the past several years.  Raymond James has extensive in-house expertise in the analysis and supplying of derivative products with product capabilities including:

• Vanilla Interest Rate Swaps (Fixed or Floating)
• Structured Interest Rate Swaps (BMA, LIBOR, CPI, and Constant Maturity Indices)
• Swaptions
• Forward Bond Purchases and Forward Bond Options
• Interest Rate Caps, Collars and Floors
• MMD and Treasury Rate Lock Agreements

Currently, we utilize these structures to assist the firm’s clients as well as to hedge portions of our daily inventory positions. Our structured products entity has successfully closed numerous transactions and currently has an extensive pipeline of on-going deals. Additionally, the firm has full-time trading and back-office personnel in place to support this effort. Trades are made through our Raymond James Capital Services (“RJCS”) subsidiary, whose payment obligations are supported by a parent guarantee. RJCS can also structure payment obligations to be cash collateralized or enhanced by third party credit support. Our current counterparty rating is BBB from S&P.

Raymond James Capital Services

• Raymond James Financial (“Raymond James”) executes structured products transactions such as interest rate swaps or swaptions through its wholly owned swap counterparty affiliate, RJ Capital Services (“RJCS”)
• RJCS was created to provide innovative structured products solutions to meet our clients’ needs
• The structured products team assembled highlights Raymond James’ commitment to its clients within the highest level of our organization
• RJCS has a flexible approach in our ability to serve our clients as a direct counterparty, including a structure(s) which benefits from an investment grade swap counterparty rating
• RJCS transactions are secured by a guarantee of its parent company, Raymond James Financial, Inc., which has significant excess capital and little long-term debt

Structured products or derivatives offered through the public finance division are only offered to institutional clients.

The information contained herein is solely intended to suggest/discuss potentially applicable financing applications and is not intended to be a specific buy/sell recommendation, nor is it an official confirmation of terms. Any terms discussed with a client are preliminary until confirmed in a definitive written agreement.

Any specific swap, security, or trade idea referred to herein does not mean RJ Capital Services, Inc. or Raymond James & Associates, Inc. has, or will, be able to execute all or a portion of this trade. Neither the information, nor any options expressed, constitute a solicitation by us for purposes of sale or purchase of any securities or commodities. RJ Capital Services, Inc. or Raymond James & Associates, Inc. or its affiliates may have either a long or short position in, and may buy or sell for its own account or the accounts of others, these securities and derivative instruments.

You should consider certain economic risks (and other legal, tax, and accounting consequences) prior to entering into any type of transaction with RJ Capital Services, Inc. or Raymond James & Associates, Inc. It is imperative that any prospective client perform its own research and due diligence, independent of us or our affiliates, to determine suitability of the proposed transaction with respect to the aforementioned potential economic risks and legal, tax, and accounting consequences.