NO OUTSTANDING RATED DEBT FOR MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION
New York, September 29, 2011 -- Moody's Investors Service has affirmed the A2 Issuer Rating assigned to
NCCI Holdings, Inc. ("NCCI"). The rating outlook remains
stable. The organization has no outstanding rated debt, but
has $55 million of senior unsecured notes, which mature on
October 15, 2014.
SUMMARY RATING RATIONALE
The A2 Issuer Level rating is based on NCCI Holdings, Inc.'s
distinctive market niche, balanced operating performance,
and strong board and senior leadership that demonstrate solid fiscal stewardship.
These strengths are offset by NCCI's bullet maturity debt structure with
the fixed-rate notes maturing on October 15, 2014,
thin balance sheet cushion and unrestricted resources relative to its
debt structure, as well as exposure to the underwriting cycle in
the workers' compensation insurance sector.
STRENGTHS
*Unrivaled market position as the nation's largest and most experienced
provider of workers compensation and employee injury data and statistics
for a large variety of private and governmental constituents, including
insurance companies and state governments.
*Balanced operating performance before income taxes, by Moody's
calculation, due to a diversified revenue base and a strong financial
management team that has proven ability to adjust expenses based on projections
of revenue streams. During FY 2008-2010, NCCI's Moody's
calculated operating margin averaged 1.9%.
*Good governance and proactive management team, including a
board consisting of independent members and representatives of the insurance
industry and major constituencies.
*No future debt plans. NCCI funds its capital needs from operating
cash flow and has little deferred maintenance as measured by a low age
of plant of 7 years.
*Real estate valuation of its headquarters at $66.6
million, located in Boca Raton, Florida, which is not
fully captured on balance sheet nor reflected in Moody's calculation of
financial resources (which excludes plant equity). Although NCCI
has no plans to sell the building, it could potentially tap these
real estate holdings if necessary.
CHALLENGES
*Debt structure and risks associated with refinancing of debt coupled
with thin unrestricted monthly liquidity of $49.6 million.
NCCI's $55 million of privately placed senior unsecured fixed-rate
notes mature on October 15, 2014 with no principal amortization
that can be accelerated with the occurrence of specified Events of Default.
This risk is somewhat mitigated by NCCI's access to a $20M unsecured
line of credit (which can be increased to $30 million), upon
which it has never drawn.
*Cash and investments of $57.1 million provide thin
coverage of debt at 1.04 times. Any declines in total cash
and investments would be a credit negative, particularly as the
maturity date for the notes approaches.
*Thin net asset base further depressed by accrued pension and postretirement
liabilities of approximately $24 million, which has declined
from the prior year and is expected to decline over time. Management
reports that the plan's required funded status is over 90% and
that funding levels have never fallen below Employee Retirement Income
Security Act (ERISA) requirements.
*Exposure to the underwriting cycle in the workers' compensation insurance
sector, which has been adversely impacted during economic downturns.
The industry is coming off of three years of premium contractions,
which comprise one-half of NCCI's revenues, due to the challenging
economic climate, job losses, and lower premiums charged by
insurers. For the first half of 2011, the industry has seen
a healthy rebound in premiums but not to pre-recessionary levels.
*Data integrity and safety is a key risk, as NCCI's main product
is its large database of workers compensation insurance information.
NCCI has invested substantially in technology infrastructure and services
to minimize the risk of data loss or integrity.
OUTLOOK
The stable rating outlook is based on Moody's expectation that NCCI will
continue its pivotal role serving the workers compensation industry,
maintain healthy cash flow to cover debt service, at least maintain
its current level of cash and investments, and incur no additional
debt.
WHAT COULD MAKE THE RATING GO UP
Significant growth in financial resources and limited additional debt
WHAT COULD MAKE THE RATING GO DOWN
Deterioration or significant change in market position or significant
change in regulatory structure of workers compensation insurance industry,
as well as emergence of viable competitors; significant decline in
operating performance; deterioration in cash and investment balances
PRINCIPAL METHODOLOGY USED
The issuer-level rating on NCCI Holdings, Inc.'s bonds
was assigned by evaluating factors believed to be relevant to the credit
profile of NCCI such as i) the business risk and competitive position
of the issuer versus others within its industry or sector, ii) the
capital structure and financial risk of the issuer, iii) the projected
performance of the issuer over the near to intermediate term, iv)
the issuer's history of achieving consistent operating performance and
meeting budget or financial plan goals, v) the nature of the dedicated
revenue stream pledged to the bonds, vi) the debt service coverage
provided by such revenue stream, vii) the legal structure that documents
the revenue stream and the source of payment, and vii) the issuer's
management and governance structure related to payment.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For ratings issued on a program, series or category/class of debt,
this announcement provides relevant regulatory disclosures in relation
to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series
or category/class of debt or pursuant to a program for which the ratings
are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's
rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider,
this announcement provides relevant regulatory disclosures in relation
to the rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular
rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the
support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings,
this announcement provides relevant regulatory disclosures in relation
to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive
rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt,
in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed
prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would
have affected the rating. For further information please see the
ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.
Moody's considers the quality of information available on the rated entity,
obligation or credit satisfactory for the purposes of issuing a rating.
Erin V. Ortiz
Analyst
Public Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Jenny L. Maloney
Vice President - Senior Analyst
Public Finance Group
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
MOODY'S AFFIRMS A2 ISSUER RATING OF NCCI HOLDINGS, INC. (FL); OUTLOOK REMAINS STABLE