US BSL CLO Manager Rankings by WAS Adjusted for Portfolio Prices and Par Losses (Updated)

The term WAS, or Weighted Average Spread, refers to a key metric used to assess the risk associated with the underlying collateral of a CLO. In general, a higher WAS may indicate a riskier collateral pool, as some CLO managers may seek higher-yielding but potentially riskier investments in order to achieve arbitrage. What is important is to adjust the collateral WAS for loan prices as well as par losses. The adjusted WAS is a very useful metric for senior CLO tranche investors when pricing senior tranches. For example, all else being equal, AAA investors would typically demand a higher spread if the underlying collateral WAS is higher after adjusting for portfolio prices and par losses. AAA investors tend to be less concerned about idiosyncratic risks and more focused on systemic risks. A materially wider collateral WAS may therefore imply a higher probability of credit losses. A sample of 334 deals from the 2024 vintage is used, excluding static deals and those with a collateral factor below 0.75. Each deal’s underlying collateral weighted average spread (WAS) is adjusted to reflect its weighted average price (WAP) as of 10 April 2026. The adjusted WAS also incorporates par losses.