Structured Finance Challenges for New Issuers and New Assets

This article outlines some of the issues facing new issuers and questions relating to new assets in areas such as off-balance-sheet accounting, tax treatment, and securities laws. There has been a gradual expansion of the structured finance market into new areas such as leases, utility receivables, health care receivables, patent royalties, and other classes of financial assets. Indeed, any company of middle size and above should focus on whether a securitization program would provide an added benefit to its capital formation process. The challenge for new issuers and new asset classes is to preserve the benefits of securitization while at the same time preserving the flexibility to manage those assets in the most efficient way.