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? Rod Cantrill and Matthew Taylor are joining Lehman Brothers to start up banking coverage of the European chemicals sector. They will report to Vinnie Lynch, managing director and head of European investment banking, and Omar Abboud, managing director and head of global investment banking coverage of chemicals. Cantrill and Taylor are leaving Schroders' European chemicals department. Cantrill was assistant director there from 1997. Between 1991 and 1996 he worked in corporate finance at Barclays. Before that he spent three years at Chase Manhattan.

Belgium ING Barings hopes to complete a Eu200m placement for Belgian firm Ion Beam Applications today (Friday).

Market report: Compiled by Glenn Blackley,

Pfandbrief Bank International, one of three institutions established to issue the Luxembourg version of the German instrument, this week launched its maiden issue, a Eu250m two year floater paying Euribor plus 4bp. Led by HypoVereinsbank, the FRN is only the second public issue out of Luxembourg, following an Eu50m deal for Erste Europäische Pfandbrief und Kommunalkredietbank two weeks earlier that was sold to one investor, and was the first to be syndicated.

Birgit Schauer is to join the Amsterdam office of ABN Amro on February 1. She will work on leveraged finance, reporting to Ross Langley. He in turn reports to the head of northern Europe and leveraged syndications, Madaleine Jacobs.

* General Electric Capital Corporation Rating: Aaa/AAA/AAA

Dollar swap spreads continued to crumble this week as the issuance remained at a brisk pace. There appears little let-up in the debt being brought by well-rated borrowers. Yesterday, it was confirmed the Republic of Italy was poised to bring a $2bn five year global via Lehman Brothers and JP Morgan. Swap dealers agree this is likely to be swapped to floating dollars. It should price in the low 50s against Treasuries, and yield about 56/57bp over all-in. With swap bids about 61bp, the borrower could just make it into sub-Libor territory.

Norway Lead arranger Chase Manhattan is winding up general syndication on the Nkr2bn facility for Enitel, the telecoms network operator. An oversubscription has been raised.

* Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten Rating: Aaa/AAA/AAA

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* EuroHypo AG - Europäische Hypothekenbank der Deutsche Bank Rating: AAA (S&P)

* Kommuninvest I Sverige AB Rating: Aa1