newscastClifford Chance (CC) has secured a trophy finance mandate opposite Sidley Austin that could open the floodgates for US lenders to tap Europe’s €1.6trn (£1.08trn) covered bond market.

The City giant is advising under-writers ABN Amro, Barclays Capital (BarCap) and Deutsche Bank on the closely-watched mortgage-backed issue by Sidley client Washington Mutual.