Category: Issue Comments

Issue Comments

MFC.PR.F & MFC.PR.P To Be Extended

Manulife Financial Corporation has announced:

that it does not intend to exercise its right to redeem all or any of its currently outstanding 6,537,903 Non-cumulative Rate Reset Class 1 Shares Series 3 (the “Series 3 Preferred Shares”) (TSX: MFC.PR.F) or 1,462,097 Non-cumulative Floating Rate Class 1 Shares Series 4 (the “Series 4 Preferred Shares”) (TSX: MFC.PR.P) on June 19, 2026.

As a result, subject to certain conditions described in the prospectus supplement dated March 7, 2011 relating to the issuance of the Series 3 Preferred Shares and Series 4 Preferred Shares (the “Prospectus”), the holders of the Series 3 Preferred Shares have the right, at their option, to convert all or part of their Series 3 Preferred Shares on a one-for-one basis into Series 4 Preferred Shares on June 19, 2026. As well, subject to certain conditions, the holders of Series 4 Preferred Shares have the right to convert all or part of their Series 4 Preferred Shares on a one-for-one basis into Series 3 Preferred Shares on June 19, 2026. Holders who do not exercise their right to convert their Series 3 Preferred Shares into Series 4 Preferred Shares will retain their Series 3 Preferred Shares. Holders who do not exercise their right to convert their Series 4 Preferred Shares into Series 3 Preferred Shares will retain their Series 4 Preferred Shares.

Beneficial owners of Series 3 Preferred Shares and Series 4 Preferred Shares who wish to exercise their right of conversion should instruct their broker or other nominee to exercise such right before 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on June 4, 2026.

The foregoing conversions are subject to the conditions that: (i) if, after June 4, 2026, Manulife determines that there would be less than 1,000,000 Series 3 Preferred Shares outstanding on June 19, 2026, then all remaining Series 3 Preferred Shares will automatically be converted into an equal number of Series 4 Preferred Shares on June 19, 2026, and (ii) if, after June 4, 2026, Manulife determines that there would be less than 1,000,000 Series 4 Preferred Shares outstanding on June 19, 2026, then all remaining Series 4 Preferred Shares will automatically be converted into an equal number of Series 3 Preferred Shares. In either case, Manulife shall give written notice to that effect to any registered holders of Series 3 and Series 4 Preferred Shares on or before June 7, 2026.

The dividend rate applicable to the Series 3 Preferred Shares for the 5-year period commencing on June 20, 2026, and ending on June 19, 2031, and the dividend rate applicable to the Series 4 Preferred Shares for the 3-month period commencing on June 20, 2026, and ending on September 19, 2026, will be determined and announced by way of a news release on May 21, 2026. Manulife will also give written notice of these dividend rates to the registered holders of Series 3 Preferred Shares and Series 4 Preferred Shares.

Conversion inquiries should be directed to Manulife’s Registrar and Transfer Agent, TSX Trust Company (Canada), at 1-800-783-9495.

MFC.PR.F was issued as a 4.20%+141 FixedReset that commenced trading 2011-3-11 after being announced 2011-3-7. Notice of extension was published in 2016 and the rate reset to 2.178%. I recommended that holders not convert to FloatingResets but there was a 21% conversion anyway. In 2021, the dividend rate on MFC.PR.F reset to 2.348% and there was a 3% net conversion to the FixedReset.

MFC.PR.P is a FloatingReset, Bills+141bp, which arose via a partial conversion from MFC.PR.F in 2016.

Thanks to Assiduous Reader P_I for bringing this to my attention!

Issue Comments

BIP & BEP Discuss Merger Simplification Potential

The G&M reports:

Asset manager Brookfield Corp. is working on converting its massive renewable power and infrastructure businesses from limited partnerships into traditional corporate structures, a move meant to gain more passive investors.

This week, Brookfield Renewable Partners LP, which has a $13.7-billion market capitalization, and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP, valued at $22.5-billion, announced their boards “have recently begun exploring whether a single combined corporate structure would be the best path forward.”

Brookfield is following a path blazed by several large North American infrastructure and power companies that acquired assets previously owned through limited partnerships to simplify their corporate structures and boost their stock price.

Companies that took these steps include pipeline operators TC Energy Corp., Enbridge Inc. and Kinder Morgan Inc.

On Friday, the spread between the price of Brookfield Renewable’s limited partnership units and corporate shares narrowed to 9.5 per cent after the company announced the board is considering creating a single entity. Mr. Hope said this is “well down from levels seen at the beginning of the week and year.”

A similar gap existed between the price of units in Brookfield Business Partners LP, the asset manager’s private equity arm, and shares in Brookfield Business Corp., which was created in 2022.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. 26Q1 Press Release:

BIP and BIPC Structure

At the direction of the Board, we have recently begun exploring whether a single combined corporate structure would be the best path forward. The goal is to determine if, on a tax-free basis, we can create a single corporate security that would enhance liquidity, increase index inclusion, and create value for our investors.

Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P.’s 26Q1 Press Release:

BEP and BEPC Structure

  • We have recently begun exploring whether a single combined corporate structure would be the best path forward. The goal is to determine if, on a tax-free basis, we can create a single corporate security that would enhance liquidity, increase index inclusion and create value for our investors.

Affected issues are: BIP.PR.E, BIP.PR.F, BEP.PR.M and BEP.PR.R.

Issue Comments

ECN.PR.C Delisted At 26.130471

ECN.PR.C was delisted today in accordance with the company’s press release dated 2026-04-24 (emphasis added – JH):

ECN Capital Corp. (TSX: ECN) (“ECN Capital” or the “Company”) announced today the successful completion of the Company’s previously announced plan of arrangement (the “Arrangement”) whereby a newly formed acquisition vehicle controlled by an investor group led by investment funds managed by Warburg Pincus LLC and including Goodview Capital Corp. (the “Purchaser”) acquired (i) all of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company (the “Common Shares”) for C$3.10 in cash per Common Share; (ii) all of the issued and outstanding cumulative 5-year minimum rate reset preferred shares, Series C of the Company (the “Series C Preferred Shares”) for C$26.00 in cash per Series C Preferred Share (plus all accrued but unpaid dividends thereon); and (iii) all of the issued and outstanding mandatory convertible preferred shares, Series E of the Company (the “Series E Preferred Shares” and, together with the Common Shares and Series C Preferred Shares, the “Shares”) for C$3.10 in cash per Series E Preferred Share (plus all accrued but unpaid dividends thereon).

As a result of the completion of the Arrangement, it is expected that the Common Shares and Series C Preferred Shares will be de-listed from the Toronto Stock Exchange (the “TSX”) shortly after the date hereof. The Company expects that its 6.00% Senior Unsecured Debentures of the Company due December 31, 2026 (the “2026 Debentures”), 6.25% Senior Unsecured Debentures of the Company due December 31, 2027 (the “2027 Debentures”) and 6.50% Convertible Senior Unsecured Debentures of the Company due April 30, 2030 (the “2030 Convertible Debentures” and, together with the 2026 Debentures and 2027 Debentures, the “Debentures”) will continue to be listed on the TSX and the Company will continue to be a reporting issuer under applicable Canadian securities laws.

Immediately prior to giving effect to the Arrangement and the transactions related thereto, the Purchaser did not own, or exercise control or direction over, directly or indirectly, any Shares. Pursuant to the Arrangement and the transactions related thereto, the Purchaser acquired ownership and control over (i) 281,733,450 Common Shares, representing 100% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares, for an aggregate purchase price of C$873,373,695.00, (ii) 3,712,400 Series C Preferred Shares, representing 100% of the issued and outstanding Series C Preferred Shares, for an aggregate purchase price of C$97,006,761.40 and (iii) 27,450,000 Series E Preferred Shares, representing 100% of the issued and outstanding Series E Preferred Shares, for an aggregate purchase price of C$86,137,528.44. A copy of the Purchaser’s early warning report will be filed under the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ and further information and/or a copy of the Purchaser’s early warning report may be obtained from Sean Milne, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, Tel: 561-717-4772. The Purchaser’s principal office is located at 777 South Flagler Drive, Suite 800 East, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401.

ECN.PR.C was issued as a FixedReset, 6.25%+519M625, that commenced trading 2017-5-25 after being announced 2017-5-15. It reset to 7.937% in 2022. The potential for the acquisition was announced in November, 2025. The intended acquisition of the Series C shares was reported in January. ECN.PR.C was tracked by HIMIPref™ but relegated to the Scraps subindex on credit concerns.

Thanks to Assiduous Readers Fletcher Lynd and CanSiamCyp for bringing this to my attention!

Issue Comments

GDV.PR.A To Reset To 6.2%; Capital Units To Split

Brompton Funds has announced:

Global Dividend Growth Split Corp. (the “Fund”) is
pleased to announce its intention to complete a stock split of its class A shares (the “Share Split”) due to the Fund’s strong performance. Class A shareholders of record at the close of business on May 11, 2026 will receive 15 additional class A shares for every 100 class A shares held, pursuant to the Share Split. The Share Split is subject to the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange (the “TSX”).

Class A shareholders will continue to receive the same regular monthly non-cumulative cash distributions (currently $0.10 per class A share) following the Share Split. As a result, the total dollar amount of distributions to be paid to class A shareholders is expected to increase by approximately 15%. The Fund provides a distribution reinvestment plan (“DRIP”), on a commission-free basis for class A shareholders that wish to reinvest distributions and realize the benefits of compound growth. Class A shareholders can enroll in the DRIP program by contacting their investment advisor.

Since inception on June 15, 2018 to March 31, 2026, the class A shares have delivered a 13.5% per annum total return based on net asset value, outperforming the MSCI World High Dividend Yield Total Return Index by 5.2% per annum and the MSCI World Total Return Index by 2% per annum.(1) Since inception, class A shareholders have received cash distributions of $9.35 per share.

Following the completion of the Share Split, the preferred shares of the Fund are expected to have downside protection from a decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio of approximately 54%.(2)

The class A shares are expected to commence trading on an ex-split basis at the opening of trading on May 11, 2026. No fractional class A shares will be issued and the number of class A shares each holder shall receive will be rounded down to the nearest whole number. The Share Split is a non-taxable event.

The Fund is also pleased to announce that the preferred share distribution rate for the extended term from July 1, 2026 to June 27, 2031 will be $0.62 per preferred share per annum (6.2% on the par value of $10.00) payable quarterly. This represents a pre-tax interest equivalent yield of 8.1% per annum.(3) The preferred share distribution rate for the extended term is based on current market rates for preferred shares with similar terms.

The term extension offers preferred shareholders the opportunity to continue enjoying preferential cash dividends until June 27, 2031. Since inception on June 15, 2018 to March 31, 2026, the preferred shares of the Fund have delivered a 5.1% per annum return(1)
.
The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio (the “Portfolio”) of equity securities of large capitalization global dividend growth companies selected by Brompton Funds Limited (the “Manager”), the manager of the Fund. In order to qualify for inclusion in the Portfolio, at the time of investment and at the time of each periodic reconstitution and/or rebalancing of the Portfolio, each global dividend growth company included in the Portfolio must (i) have a market capitalization of at least $10 billion, and (ii) have a history of dividend growth or, in the Manager’s view, have high potential for future dividend growth.

In connection with the extension, shareholders who do not wish to continue their investment in the Fund may retract their preferred shares or class A shares on June 30, 2026 pursuant to a special retraction right and receive a retraction price that is calculated in the same way that such price would be calculated if the Fund were to terminate on June 30, 2026. Pursuant to this option, the retraction price may be less than the market price if the security is trading at a premium to net asset value. To exercise this retraction right, shareholders must provide notice to their investment dealer by May 29, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time). Alternatively, shareholders may sell their preferred shares and/or class A shares through their securities dealer for the market price at any time, potentially at a higher price than would be achieved through retraction, or shareholders may take no action and continue to hold their shares.

The extension was previously reported on PrefBlog. The previous distribution rate was 5.0%.

Thanks to Assiduous Reader Yomgui for bringing this to my attention!

Issue Comments

LBS.PR.A Treasury Offering

Brompton Group has announced:

Life & Banc Split Corp. (the “Fund”) is pleased to announce it is undertaking a treasury offering of preferred shares (“Preferred Shares”) (the “Offering”).

The sales period for this offering is expected to end on Thursday, April 23, 2026. The offering is expected to close on or about April 30, 2026 and is subject to certain closing conditions including approval by the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”).

The Preferred Shares will be offered at a price of $10.50 per Preferred Share to yield 6.9%.(1) The closing price on the TSX for the Preferred Shares on April 21, 2026 was $10.55. The offering is being led by RBC Capital Markets.

The investment objectives for the Preferred Shares are to provide holders with fixed cumulative preferential quarterly cash distributions, in the amount of $0.18125 per Preferred Share (7.25% per annum on the original $10.00 issue price), and to return the original issue price to holders of Preferred Shares on October 30, 2028.

Purchasers of Preferred Shares in this Offering will be eligible to receive the full June 2026 quarterly dividend of $0.18125 per Preferred Share when the dividend is declared. The Fund has declared aggregate dividends on the Preferred Shares of $10.55 per Preferred Share, representing 78 consecutive quarterly dividends since inception on October 17, 2006 to March 31, 2026.

Based on the most recently calculated net asset value per unit of the Fund on April 16, 2026, adjusted for the April 20, 2026 stock split of the Fund’s class A shares, the Preferred Shares have downside protection from a decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio of approximately 56%. The Preferred Shares are rated Pfd-3 by Morningstar DBRS.

The Fund invests on an approximately equally weighted basis, in a portfolio (the “Portfolio”) consisting of common shares of the six largest Canadian banks and the four major publicly traded Canadian life insurance companies:

Bank of Montreal Great-West Lifeco Inc.
National Bank of Canada The Bank of Nova Scotia
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Royal Bank of Canada
iA Financial Corporation Inc. The Toronto-Dominion Bank
Sun Life Financial Inc. Manulife Financial Corporation

This treasury offering is presumably intended to offset the projected imbalance of Capital Units and Preferred Shares, given the recently announced Capital Unit split.

Issue Comments

EMA.PR.J To Reset At 6.345%

Emera Incorporated has announced:

the applicable dividend rates for its Cumulative Minimum Rate Reset First Preferred Shares, Series J (the “Series J Shares”) and Cumulative Floating Rate First Preferred Shares, Series K (the “Series K Shares”), in each case, payable if, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of the Company:

6.345% per annum on the Series J Shares ($0.3966 per Series J Share per quarter), being equal to the sum of the Government of Canada bond yield as at April 15, 2026, plus 3.28%, payable quarterly on the 15 th of February, May, August and November of each year during the five-year period commencing on May 15, 2026 and ending on (and inclusive of) May 14, 2031, and
5.598% on the Series K Shares for the three-month period commencing on May 15, 2026 and ending on (and inclusive of) August 14, 2026 ($0.3528 per Series K Share for the quarter), being equal to the sum of the three-month Government of Canada treasury bill yield rate as at April 15, 2026, plus 3.28% (calculated on the basis of the actual number of days elapsed during the quarter divided by 365), payable on the 15 th of August, 2026. The quarterly floating dividend rate will be reset every quarter.

Subject to certain conditions set out in the prospectus supplement of the Company dated March 26, 2021, to the short form base shelf prospectus of the Company dated March 12, 2021, relating to the issuance of the Series J Shares (collectively, the “Prospectus”), holders of the Series J Shares have the right, at their option, to convert all or any of their Series J Shares, on a one-for-one basis, into Series K Shares on May 15, 2026 (the “Conversion Date”). On such date, holders who do not exercise their right to convert their Series J Shares into Series K Shares will continue to hold their Series J Shares. The foregoing conversion right, after having taken into account all shares tendered for conversion by holders of Series J Shares, is subject to the following:

if the Company determines that there would be less than 1,000,000 Series K Shares outstanding on the Conversion Date, then holders of Series J Shares will not be entitled to convert their shares into Series K Shares, and
alternatively, if the Company determines that there would remain outstanding less than 1,000,000 Series J Shares on the Conversion Date, then all remaining Series J Shares will automatically be converted into Series K Shares on a one-for-one basis on the Conversion Date.

In either case, the Company will give written notice to that effect to the holders of Series J Shares at least seven days prior to the Conversion Date, subject to the terms set out in the Prospectus.

Holders of Series J Shares who wish to exercise their conversion right should communicate with their broker or other nominee to obtain instructions for exercising such right during the conversion period, which runs from April 15, 2026 until 5:00 p.m. (EDT) on April 30, 2026. Any notices received after this deadline will not be valid. Holders of Series J Shares who wish to exercise their conversion right must carefully follow the procedures and instructions received from their broker or other nominee and contact their broker or other nominee if they need assistance. Such broker or other nominee may set deadlines for the return of instructions that are well in advance of the 5:00 p.m. (EDT) deadline on April 30, 2026. As such, it is recommended that holders of Series J Shares communicate instructions to their broker or other nominee well in advance of the deadline in order to provide their broker or other nominee with adequate time to complete the necessary steps prior to the deadline.

Holders of Series J Shares who do not provide notice or communicate with their broker or other nominee by the deadline will retain their Series J Shares and receive the new annual fixed dividend rate applicable to the Series J Shares, subject to the conditions stated above. Holders of Series J Shares will have the opportunity to convert their shares again on May 15, 2031 and every five years thereafter as long as the shares remain outstanding. For more information on the terms of, and risks associated with, an investment in Series J Shares and Series K Shares, please see the Company’s Prospectus, which is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

EMA.PR.J is a FixedReset, 4.25%+328M425, announced 2021-3-24. They recently issued some USD junior subordinated notes, but the proceeds of this issue have not been used for redemption of these preferreds. Extension of the issue was announced in April 2026. EMA.PR.J is tracked by HIMIPref™ but relegated to the Scraps – FixedReset (Premium) index on credit concerns.

Thanks to Assiduous Reader P_I for bringing this to my attention!

Issue Comments

DBRS Confirms BPO at Pfd-3(low)

I wouldn’t normally post about a credit rating confirmation, but for BPO I’ll make an exception!
DBRS has announced that it:

confirmed its Issuer Rating and Senior Unsecured Debt credit rating on Brookfield Property Partners L.P. (BPP) at BBB (low). Morningstar DBRS also confirmed its credit ratings on Brookfield Property Finance ULC’s Senior Unsecured Notes and Brookfield Office Properties Inc.’s Senior Unsecured Notes at BBB (low), as well as Brookfield Office Properties Inc.’s Subordinated Notes at BB and Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares, Class AAA at Pfd-3 (low). All trends are Stable. The credit ratings are based on the credit risk profile of the consolidated entity, including BPP and its subsidiaries (collectively, BPY).

KEY CREDIT RATING CONSIDERATIONS
These credit rating actions consider the progress BPY continues to make in executing its strategy of reducing its balance sheet exposure to real estate, along with an anticipated commensurate reduction in financial leverage, while maintaining exposure to very high-quality core office and retail assets. BPY’s exposure to its LP Investments segment is declining as the opportunistic funds mature and execute realizations, thereby providing a source of funds. BPY’s operating environment has supported robust transaction activity, including office leasing, and new office leases are creating a near-term drag on net operating income (NOI) growth until cash rents commence.

The Stable trends consider Morningstar DBRS’ expectations for (1) improved same-property NOI growth rates in the near to medium term as new office leases yield cash rents; (2) continued support from BPY’s parent, Brookfield Corporation (BN; rated “A,” Stable by Morningstar DBRS), in the near term, by way of equity funding for upcoming debt maturities; and (3) BPY to continue executing its strategy of recycling capital into trophy office and retail assets while reducing leverage over time, resulting in an improved financial risk assessment (FRA) profile, as described below.

Morningstar DBRS applied a positive three-notch adjustment to BPY’s FRA in consideration of its enhanced financial flexibility resulting from (1) a global portfolio consisting of a high proportion of core trophy office and retail assets, (2) a relatively strong liquidity position (including consideration for explicit parental support) relative to a modest amount of Senior Unsecured Debt outstanding, and (3) a predominately nonrecourse secured debt stack with significant equity cushion providing coverage of its Senior Unsecured Debt. This FRA adjustment is newly applied following the publication of Morningstar DBRS’ updated “Global Methodology for Rating Entities in the Real Estate Industry,” whereby some adjustments are now considered as part of the Comprehensive FRA (CFRA). This adjustment also serves to balance the constraint on the Intrinsic Assessment Range when the Comprehensive Business Risk Assessment is much stronger than the CFRA, as in the case for BPY.

CREDIT RATING DRIVERS
Morningstar DBRS would consider a negative credit rating action if Morningstar DBRS were to change its views on the level and strength of implicit support provided by BN, should BPY’s total debt-to-EBITDA deteriorate to more than 16.0 times (x), or if BPY’s EBITDA interest coverage were to deteriorate from current levels (0.92x for the last 12 months (LTM) ended December 31, 2025), on a sustained basis, all else equal. On the other hand, Morningstar DBRS would consider a positive credit rating action should Morningstar DBRS’ outlook for BPY’s total debt-to-EBITDA improve to 13.0x or better, all else equal.

FINANCIAL OUTLOOK
Morningstar DBRS maintains its FRA of BPY. In the near to medium term, Morningstar DBRS expects that BPY will continue to demonstrate an improving trend in its total debt-to-EBITDA metric toward the 15x range (from 15.8x at the LTM ended December 31, 2025), and that BPY’s EBITDA interest coverage metric will continue an improving trend above the 1.00x range. These improving metrics will be largely driven by continued capital recycling activity, associated debt reduction, support from BN in the interim, positive same-property NOI growth, and the benefit of lower interest rates.

CREDIT RATING RATIONALE
The credit ratings continue to be supported by (1) Morningstar DBRS’ view of implicit support from BN, as detailed above; (2) BPY’s market position as a pre-eminent global real estate company; (3) BPY’s high-quality assets, particularly its Office and Retail segments, with long-term leases to large, recognizable investment-grade-rated tenants; and (4) superior diversification, in particular by property, tenant, and geography. The credit ratings continue to be constrained by BPY’s weak FRA as reflected by both its highly leveraged balance sheet; a riskier retail leasing profile in terms of lease maturities and counterparty risk relative to BPY’s Office segment; and a higher-risk opportunistic LP Investments segment composed primarily of office, mixed-use, logistics, and multifamily assets, as well as alternatives.

ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND GOVERNANCE CONSIDERATIONS
There were no Environmental/Social/Governance factors that had a significant or relevant effect on the credit analysis.

Affected issues are BPO.PR.A, BPO.PR.C, BPO.PR.E,.BPO.PR.G, BPO.PR.I, BPO.PR.N, BPO.PR.P, BPO.PR.R, BPO.PR.T, BPO.PR.T, BPO.PR.W, BPO.PR.X and BPO.PR.Y.

Issue Comments

EMA.PR.J To Be Extended

Emera Incorporated has announced:

that it does not intend to exercise its right to redeem all or any part of the currently outstanding Cumulative Minimum Rate Reset First Preferred Shares, Series J of the Company (the “Series J Shares”) on May 15, 2026. There are currently 8,000,000 Series J Shares outstanding.

Subject to certain conditions set out in the prospectus supplement of the Company dated March 26, 2021, to the short form base shelf prospectus dated March 12, 2021, relating to the issuance of the Series J Shares (collectively, the “Prospectus”), the holders of the Series J Shares have the right, at their option, to convert all or any of their Series J Shares, on a one-for-one basis, into Cumulative Floating Rate First Preferred Shares, Series K of the Company (the “Series K Shares”) on May 15, 2026 (the “Conversion Date”). On such date, holders who do not exercise their right to convert their Series J Shares into Series K Shares will continue to hold their Series J Shares.

The foregoing conversion right is subject to the following:

if the Company determines that there would be less than 1,000,000 Series K Shares outstanding on the Conversion Date, then holders of Series J Shares will not be entitled to convert their shares into Series K Shares, and

alternatively, if the Company determines that there would remain outstanding less than 1,000,000 Series J Shares on the Conversion Date, then all remaining Series J Shares will automatically be converted into Series K Shares on a one-for-one basis on the Conversion Date.
In either case, Emera will give written notice to that effect to holders of Series J Shares at least seven days prior to the Conversion Date, subject to the terms set out in the Prospectus.

The dividend rate applicable for the Series J Shares for the five-year period commencing on May 15, 2026 and ending on (and inclusive of) May 14, 2031, and the dividend rate applicable to the Series K Shares for the three-month period commencing on May 15, 2026, and ending on (and inclusive of) August 14, 2026, will be determined on April 15, 2026 and notice of such dividend rates shall be provided to the holders of the Series J Shares on that day.

Holders of Series J Shares who wish to exercise their conversion right should communicate with their broker or other nominee to obtain instructions for exercising such right during the conversion period, which runs from April 15, 2026 until 5:00 p.m. (EDT) on April 30, 2026. Any notices received after this deadline will not be valid. As such, it is recommended that this be done well in advance of the deadline in order to provide their broker or other nominee with adequate time to complete the necessary steps.

Holders of Series J Shares who do not provide notice or communicate with their broker or other nominee by the deadline will retain their Series J Shares and receive the new annual fixed dividend rate applicable to the Series J Shares, subject to the conditions stated above. Holders of Series J Shares will have the opportunity to convert their shares again on May 15, 2031 and every five years thereafter as long as the shares remain outstanding. For more information on the terms of, and risks associated with, an investment in Series J Shares and Series K Shares, please see the Company’s Prospectus, which is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

EMA.PR.J is a FixedReset, 4.25%+328M425, announced 2021-3-24. They recently issued some USD junior subordinated notes, but the proceeds of this issue have not been used for redemption of these preferreds. EMA.PR.J is tracked by HIMIPref™ but relegated to the Scraps – FixedReset (Premium) index on credit concerns.

Issue Comments

LBS.PR.A : Another Capital Unit Split

Brompton Funds has announced:

Life & Banc Split Corp. (the “Fund”) is pleased to announce its intention to complete a stock split of its class A shares (the “Share Split”) due to the Fund’s strong performance.
Class A shareholders of record at the close of business on April 17, 2026 will receive 15 additional class A shares for every 100 class A shares held, pursuant to the Share Split. The Share Split is subject to the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange (the “TSX”).

Class A shareholders will continue to receive regular monthly cash distributions targeted to be $0.10 per class A share following the Share Split. As a result, the total dollar amount of distributions to be paid to class A shareholders is expected to increase by approximately 15%. The Fund provides a distribution reinvestment plan, on a commission-free basis for class A shareholders that wish to reinvest distributions and realize the benefits of compound growth.

Over the last 10 years, the class A shares have delivered a 21.9% per annum total return based on net asset value, outperforming the S&P/TSX Capped Financials Total Return Index by 7.9% per annum and the S&P/TSX Composite Total Return Index by 9.3% per annum.(1) Since inception, class A shareholders have received cash distributions of $21.55 per share.

Following the completion of the Share Split, the preferred shares of the Fund are expected to have downside protection from a decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio of approximately 53%.(2)

The class A shares are expected to commence trading on an ex-split basis at the opening of trading on April 17, 2026. No fractional class A shares will be issued and the number of class A shares each holder shall receive will be rounded down to the nearest whole number. The Share Split is a non-taxable event.

The Fund invests on an approximately equally weighted basis in a portfolio consisting of common shares of the six largest Canadian banks and the four major publicly traded Canadian life insurance companies:

Bank of Montreal Great-West Lifeco Inc.
National Bank of Canada The Bank of Nova Scotia
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Royal Bank of Canada
iA Financial Corporation Inc. The Toronto-Dominion Bank
Sun Life Financial Inc. Manulife Financial Corporation

This follows the previous split last October; and I’ll simply update and repeat what I suggested at that time:

This harms the credit quality of the preferreds by increasing the cash drag (due to increased distributions to the Capital Units due to the split) and by decreasing the Asset Coverage ratio. However, with a Whole Unit NAVPU of 23.73 as of 2026-4-9, there is no immediate cause for alarm.

My guess is that they’re doing this to increase the leverage provided by owning the Capital Units, given my assumption that this is what these shareholders want.

Thanks to Assiduous Reader newbiepref for bringing this to my attention!

Issue Comments

BCE.PR.G To Reset To 5.30%

BCE Inc. has announced (although not yet on their website):

BCE Inc. will, on May 1, 2026, continue to have Cumulative Redeemable First Preferred Shares, Series AG (“Series AG Preferred Shares”) outstanding if, following the end of the conversion period on April 21, 2026, BCE Inc. determines that at least 2,000,000 Series AG Preferred Shares would remain outstanding. In such a case, as of May 1, 2026, the Series AG Preferred Shares will pay, on a quarterly basis, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of BCE Inc., a fixed cash dividend for the following five years that will be based on an annual fixed dividend rate equal to 5.30%.

Finding this notice took some doing! I don’t see anything on the BCE website, or on the Globe & Mail, but eventually found the Montreal Gazette notice. I couldn’t help but laugh at the addendum on the page:

Posted Online 17 hours ago Viewed 2 times

… so I’m half the readership for this notice!

BCE.PR.G reset to 3.37% in 2021. Notice of extension was provided in March, 2026.

BCE.PR.H is a “RatchetRate” preferred, paying a varying percentage of prime depending upon the trading price:

As of May 1, 2026, the Series AH Preferred Shares, should they remain outstanding, will continue to pay a monthly floating dividend based on a dividend rate that will fluctuate over time between 50% and 100% of the Prime rate (“Prime”) for each month computed in accordance with the articles of BCE Inc. Accordingly, from May 1, 2026, the holders of Series AH Preferred Shares will continue to be entitled to receive floating adjustable cash dividends, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of BCE Inc., to be paid on the twelfth day of the subsequent month. The dividend rate will be adjusted upwards or downwards on a monthly basis by an Adjustment Factor (as described below) whenever the Calculated Trading Price, being the market price of the Series AH Preferred Shares computed in accordance with the articles of BCE Inc., is $24.875 or less or $25.125 or more, respectively. The Adjustment Factor for a month will be based on the Calculated Trading Price of the Series AH Preferred Shares for the preceding month determined in accordance with the following table:

If the Calculated Trading Price for the preceding month is: The Adjustment Factor as a percentage of Prime shall be:
$25.50 or more – 4.00%
$25.375 and less than $25.50 – 3.00%
$25.25 and less than $25.375 – 2.00%
$25.125 and less than $25.25 – 1.00%
Greater than $24.875 and less than $25.125 nil
Greater than $24.75 to $24.875 + 1.00%
Greater than $24.625 to $24.75 + 2.00%
Greater than $24.50 to $24.625 + 3.00%
$24.50 or less + 4.00%

The maximum Adjustment Factor for any month will be ±4.00% of the average Prime rate for the month.

Based on the foregoing, the annual floating dividend rate for any month shall be the rate of interest expressed as a percentage per annum equal to: (a) Prime for such month, multiplied by (b) the Designated Percentage for such month, with the Designated Percentage being the Adjustment Factor for such month plus the Designated Percentage for the preceding month. The annual floating dividend rate applicable for a month will in no event be less than 50% of Prime nor will it be greater than Prime.

The following formula illustrates the manner of computing the annual floating dividend rate applicable to the month of May 2026:

Annual floating dividend   Prime for   Designated Percentage
rate for May 2026 = May 2026 X for May 2026*
* The Designated Percentage for the month of May 2026 is the sum of:
(a) the Adjustment Factor for the month of May 2026 based on the Calculated Trading Price for the month of April 2026; and
(b) the Designated Percentage for the month of April 2026

The “Designated Percentage” has been 100% (the maximum) for a long, long time..