Banks Use SRTs to Hedge Rising Default Risk in Real Estate (1)

May 5, 2026, 12:12 PM UTC

Banks are ramping up their use of significant risk transfers to hedge against commercial real estate defaults as economic fallout from conflict in the Middle East piles pressure on the sector.

NatWest Group Plc completed an SRT tied to £3.5 billion ($4.7 billion) of CRE loans in March, its second such deal in four months, Bloomberg has reported. Other lenders talking to investors about potential CRE-linked transactions include Erste Group Bank AG, BNP Paribas SA, Banco Santander SA and Commerzbank AG’s Polish unit.

“We are seeing a pickup in activity, and current momentum suggests CRE-backed SRTs will ...

Learn more about Bloomberg Law or Log In to keep reading:

See Breaking News in Context

Bloomberg Law provides trusted coverage of current events enhanced with legal analysis.

Already a subscriber?

Log in to keep reading or access research tools and resources.