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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-04-11; City Council; 13104; UPDATE STATUS OF THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY INVESTMENT POOLMTG. m UPDATE STATUS OF THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY INVESTMENT POOL I I I RECOMMENDED ACTION: Accept the report from the City Treasurer. ITEM EXPLANATION: Metropolitan West securities (MetWest), the financial advisor hired by the County Board of Supervisors, has reported its findings and opinions concerning the San Diego County Investment Pool. The report was made on March 9, 1995 with data as of January 31, 1995. There were no major surprises. The findings and opinions had been, for the most part, previously reported by the County Treasurer. Below is a summary of the more salient opinions contained in the report: * The average maturity of the pool (3.2 years) is too long. d 0 .rl u U cd s 24 0 c, 0 a G cd u u 0 u a, a, !& 5 a a, -4 3 a U a u rl TI U FI 3 0 U z 0 I- < E! ri z 3 0 0 I * The pool includes some inappropriate derivatives., e.g., inverse floaters. * The total unrealized loss, i.e., "paper loss", is about $341 million, or 10.7% of the portfolio. * Based on the cash flow projections of the pool members, there will be a shortage of liquidity in Fall 1995 that will exceed $250 million and will probably get larger. There is, however, a positive cash flow that is projected for the entire calendar year 1995. * The underlying credit worthiness of the securities in the pool are for the most part very good. * Cash withdrawals should be kept to a minimum, and when made, should be replaced within a reasonable time, otherwise cash withdrawalsshould absorb a pro rata share of the paper loss. * A voluntary participant could be allowed to withdraw all investments from the pool by making an in-kind withdrawal of securities representing a cross section of the pool. The primary issue for the investment pool remains at this time the creation and preservation of liquidity. The projected liquidity shortfall for Fall 1995 grew to $395 million from the $250 million that was projected by MetWest just two months earlier. The County Treasurer has sold $255 million of securities in March to reduce the projected liquidity shortfall to $1 30 million where it now stands. A loss of $207,000 to the pool was incurred in the sale. The cash flow for the entire year, however, is still projected to be positive. The County Treasurer has taken aggressive action to control results look good. cash withdrawals, the effectiveness of which remains to be seen, but preliminary e a Page Two of Agenda Bill No. 13; Io L/ The City’s investment in the county pool remains at $1 0.6 million. The City Treasurer is currently pursuing an in-kind withdrawal from the pool. An in-kind withdrawal is a withdrawal of securities in lieu of cash. Although an in-kind withdrawal was approved by the County Board of Supervisors, there has been some opposition to it from a few voluntary agencies seeking to withdraw cash without absorbing the paper loss. The outcome of this is unknown at this time. If the in-kind withdrawal is not made, Carlsbad’s investment in the pool may continue for 2 to 3 years. Recent declines in market rates have reduced the paper loss in the pool from 10.7% to 9.2%. The City’s investment is not considered at risk, although the yield could drop below the current 4.7%. The City Treasurer is a member of, and regularly attends and participates in, the proceedings of the Oversight Committee of the County Investment Pool and the Committee of Voluntary Pool Participants. All actions and proposed actions are closely monitored and discussed to represent Carlsbad’s interests and the interests of other cities. The Oversight Committee is currently studying the possibility of dividing the county investment pool into 3 or 4 separate pools. If such a proposal is made, its effect on Carlsbad’s investment will have to be analyzed carefully. The Committee of Voluntary Pool Participants is exploring the feasibility of establishing a Liquidating Trust. This would essentially function as a de facto in-kind withdrawal. A cross section of securities would be transferred to the trust in the name of agencies participating in the trust. Cash generated through interest receipts and maturities would be distributed to the participants. No sale of securities in the trust would be allowed, thus avoiding any losses. The Liquidating Trust structure would insulate the securities from any effect of events on the county pool. This may have merit if the structure of the Liquidating Trust does not allow preferential treatment of available liquidity to specific agencies. The County Retirement Association is planning to make a cash withdrawal of approximately $440 million and absorb a pro rata share of the paper loss in the process. The Retirement Association wants to invest in securities with longer maturities. The pool is currently limiting investments to maturities of 6 months or less. The City Treasurer will provide the Council with a brief report of the county investment pool and the City’s investment in it. The City Treasurer will also review the recent recommendations made to the Senate Special Committee on Local Government investments.