(Credit: Pixabay)Starwood Property Trust, Inc. today announced that it is offering $300 million aggregate principal amount of its unsecured senior notes due 2023 in a private offering.
The company intends to allocate an amount equal to the net proceeds from the offering to finance or refinance, in whole or in part, recently completed or future eligible green and/or social projects. Eligible green and/or social projects are projects that meet specified eligibility criteria in alignment with the four core pillars of the Green Bond Principles, 2018, Social Bond Principles, 2020 and Sustainability Bond Guidelines, 2018, and include investments in, financings of and/or acquisitions of one or more of the following:
Net proceeds allocated to previously incurred costs associated with Eligible Green and/or Social Projects will be available for the repayment of indebtedness previously incurred. Pending full allocation of an amount equal to the net proceeds to eligible green and/or social projects, the Company intends to use the net proceeds to fund the redemption of the remaining$250 million outstanding principal amount of its 3.625% Senior Notes due 2021 (assuming the completion of the partial redemption of $250 million outstanding principal amount of such notes on November 2, 2020), and for general corporate purposes, which may include the repayment of outstanding indebtedness.
These types of "green bonds" have become increasingly popular among companies in all industries. Just last month, Bank of America announced it would issue a $2 billion equality, progress, and sustainability bond designed to advance racial equality, economic opportunity, and environmental sustainability, the first offering of its kind in the financial services industry.
And in August, Visa priced its inaugural green bond offering, totaling $500 million, paying a semi-annual coupon of 0.75% and maturing August 15, 2027. The green bond, believed to be the first issued by a digital payments network, will be used to help advance the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability and a sustainable payments ecosystem.
