RLPC-KazMunaiGas to appoint banks to lead $2.5 bln loan-source

LONDON, May 20 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan oil and gas company KazMunaiGas [KMG.UL] is expected to appoint eight banks next week to arrange a $2.5 billion, three-year unsecured syndicated loan, a banking source said on Tuesday.

ABN AMRO and Credit Suisse have been co-ordinating the transaction, and subject to gaining credit approvals, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi-UFJ, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, SMBC, Societe Generale and WestLB are expected to join the deal as mandated lead arrangers.

The mandate should finalise next week, and syndication of the deal will launch shortly afterwards, the source added.

Proceeds will refinance the company's $3.1 billion, one-year unsecured bridge loan that signed in January.

That unsecured loan paid a margin of 90 basis points (bps) over LIBOR and was used to fund the borrower's purchase of Romania's second-largest oil company Rompetrol. (Reporting by Christopher Mangham; editing by Sue Thomas)