The obligation to increase collateralisation levels within the cover pool in a market downturn, where new loan
generation may be low and unsecured funding cost for over collateral particularly high, clearly represents a procyclical
element that can put additional stress on an issuing entity. At the same time, dynamic collateralisation
is a key design feature of covered bonds which is crucial for their ability to withstand the ups and down of a
mortgage cycle. The principle of dynamic collateralisation also highlights the importance of the issuing entity
and the full recourse that covered bondholders have to it. While these features are unable to fully absorb the
effects of volatility inherent in mortgage markets, they provide a level of stability to covered bonds that has
helped to build the reputation of the asset class.
Despite a broad arsenal of counteracting measures available to regulators, one can assume that volatility in
mortgage markets will prevail. Unprecedented levels of low interest rates have taken us into unchartered territory.
However, a different sensitivity to interest rate fluctuations across Europe due to varying institutional frameworks
is likely to impact mortgage markets heterogeneously. The main problem of counteracting measures is time delay,
which means that greater extremes can be prevented, but unexpected market movements cannot be avoided.