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U.S. Bancorp (USB) Strengthens Strategic Ties With MUFG

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U.S. Bancorp (USB - Free Report) has issued 24 million shares of its common stock to MUFG Bank, a core banking subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG - Free Report) , for approximately $936 million. The issuance is part of a debt-to-equity conversion and will help U.S. Bancorp meet its repayment obligation to MUFG, as agreed upon during the acquisition of MUFG Union Bank N.A.'s core regional banking franchise on Dec 1, 2022.

This will increase MUFG Bank’s total shareholding in USB to 4.39% and further strengthen the strategic relationship between the two financial institutions.

The debt/equity conversion is projected to have a positive impact on U.S. Bancorp's capital levels. It will increase the Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio by roughly 20 basis points, signaling a strengthening financial position for the company.

This investment aligns with U.S. Bancorp's capital-building initiatives undertaken during the second quarter of 2023. As a part of this effort, the company incurred $265 million in charges in the quarter related to balance sheet optimization and capital management actions. These were mainly driven by a provision charge of $243 million related to the securitization of nearly $4.4 billion of indirect auto loans and an additional $4.2 billion sale of Union Bank mortgage loans.

By satisfying a portion of the repayment obligation through stock issuance, USB can reduce its outstanding debt of $3.5 billion owed to MUFG Union Bank N.A., with the remaining obligation to be paid in cash by the agreed-upon deadline of Dec 1, 2027.

Additionally, as part of their collaboration, MUFG Bank and U.S. Bancorp have entered into an agreement to strengthen the non-Japanese yen funding capacity. This agreement provides U.S. Bank National Association, a subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp, with complementary U.S. dollar liquidity support, further solidifying the partnership.

The collaboration between Mitsubishi UFJ and U.S. Bancorp extends beyond financial investments. Both banks have agreed to collaborate on maintaining banking services for certain Japanese retail customers in the United States. Furthermore, they are exploring opportunities for strategic collaboration in various areas, including digital initiatives, corporate transactions, financial services for Japanese customers and global markets business.

The debt-to-equity conversion and the broader collaboration between U.S. Bancorp and MUFG reflect a mutually beneficial partnership. As the transaction progresses, investors will closely watch the impact on U.S. Bancorp's financial health and the potential for further business expansion through strategic alliances.

Over the past three months, shares of USB and MUFG have rallied 32.6% and 29.7%, respectively.

Three-Month Price Performance
 

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Currently, both U.S. Bancorp and Mitsubishi UFJ carry a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Additionally, last month, Mitsubishi UFJ and Morgan Stanley (MS - Free Report) announced plans to deepen their 15-year alliance by merging certain operations within their Japanese brokerage joint ventures.

The partnership, originating from MUFG's $9 billion investment in Morgan Stanley during the 2008 financial crisis, will see combined Japanese equity research, sales and execution services for institutional clients at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities and Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities.

Additionally, their equity underwriting business will be rearranged between the two brokerage units. The implementation of this expanded alliance is scheduled for the first half of 2024.

Disclaimer: This article has been written with the assistance of Generative AI. However, the author has reviewed, revised, supplemented, and rewritten parts of this content to ensure its originality and the precision of the incorporated information.


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