MOODY'S CONFIRMS AIG'S RATINGS (Aaa SENIOR UNSECURED) IN CONNECTION WITH PENDING ACQUISITION OF AMERICAN GENERAL CORPORATION; OUTLOOK STABLE
Approximately $56.9 billion of rated outstanding or prospective debt securities confirmed.
New York, May 29, 2001 -- Moody's Investors Service has confirmed the ratings of American International
Group, Inc. (AIG) - senior unsecured debt at Aaa (outlook:
stable) - following AIG's announcement of a definitive agreement
to acquire American General Corporation (AGC) for approximately $23
billion in stock.
According to Moody's, the rating confirmation reflects potentially
significant strategic and financial benefits for AIG and its principal
subsidiary operations.
Moody's noted that adding AGC's Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company
(VALIC) to AIG's SunAmerica operations will substantially increase AIG's
profile in the retirement savings segment - particularly in the
not-for-profit 403(b) customer sector in which VALIC has
considerable strength.
Furthermore, AGC's life insurance segment will enhance AIG's domestic
life operations by greatly expanding its presence in the traditional life
insurance business in the US, as well as immediate access to AGC's
extensive bank and other distribution systems.
American General Finance will also provide AIG with a considerably larger
consumer finance operations platform in the US, and one that could
be valuable to AIG's expansion in the consumer finance business overseas,
where it has pursued growth in recent years.
In addition to likely strategic benefits, Moody's noted that the
potential combination of certain administrative service operations for
the two companies will likely create expense savings opportunities that
could be realized over time.
Adding a note of caution, however, Moody's noted that the
acquisition of AGC will lead to an increase in AIG's consolidated corporate
debt leverage and a corresponding decline in its debt service coverage.
Moody's stated that its rating confirmation of AIG is based on Moody's
expectation that AIG will - over the course of approximately two
years following the completion of the acquisition - progressively
return to its historical corporate leverage and debt service coverage
levels while maintaining appropriately strong capitalization levels at
each of its subsidiary operations.
Furthermore, Moody's added that it expects that AIG will continue
to maintain balanced growth in its insurance and financial services operations,
the latter of which Moody's views as generally having a somewhat lower
credit profile.
Finally, the rating agency added that an area of increased concern
and scrutiny going forward will be the growth of AIG's institutional spread
business, which has greater credit, asset/liability,
and liquidity risks compared to AIG's other life and annuity operations
globally and incrementally raises the risk profile of the company.
Ratings confirmed are as follows:
American International Group, Inc - senior debt at Aaa;
prospective senior unsecured debt shelf rating of (P) Aaa; issuer
rating at Aaa;
AIG Financial Products Corp. - guaranteed senior debt at
Aaa; rating for guaranteed commercial paper at Prime-1;
AIG Financial Products (Japan) - guaranteed senior debt at Aaa;
AIG Financial Products (Australia) - guaranteed senior debt at
Aaa;
AIG Funding - rating for guaranteed commercial paper program at
Prime-1;
AIG Liquidity Corp - rating for guaranteed commercial paper program
at Prime-1;
AIG Matched Funding Corp. - guaranteed senior debt at Aaa;
rating for guaranteed commercial paper at Prime-1;
Banque AIG SA - guaranteed senior debt at Aaa;
AIG Financial Services (UK) Ltd. - guaranteed senior debt
at Aaa;
SunAmerica Capital Trust III - preferred stock rating at "aaa";
SunAmerica Capital Trusts IV, V, and VI - prospective
preferred stock shelf ratings at (P)"aaa";
AIG SunAmerica Global Financing I, III, IV - backed
senior secured at Aaa, backed preferred stock at "aaa";
AIG SunAmerica Global Financing II - backed senior secured at Aaa;
AIG SunAmerica Institutional Funding I, II, III Ltd.
- backed senior secured at Aaa;
Property and Casualty Rated Intercompany Pool Members - insurance
financial strength at Aaa;
Transatlantic Reinsurance Company - insurance financial strength
at Aa1;
United Guaranty Mortgage Indemnity Company - insurance financial
strength at Aaa;
United Guaranty Residential Insurance Co. - insurance financial
strength at Aaa;
AIG Life Insurance Company - supported insurance financial strength
rating at Aaa;
American International Life Assurance Company of New York - supported
insurance financial strength rating at Aaa;
American Life Insurance Company - insurance financial strength
rating at Aaa;
American International Assurance Company (Bermuda) Limited - insurance
financial strength rating at Aaa;
SunAmerica Life Insurance Company - supported insurance financial
strength rating at Aaa; supported short-term insurance financial
strength rating of Prime-1;
First SunAmerica Life Insurance Company - supported insurance financial
strength rating at Aaa; supported short-term insurance financial
strength rating of Prime-1;
Anchor National Life Insurance Company - supported insurance financial
strength rating at Aaa; supported short-term insurance financial
strength rating of Prime-1;
International Lease Finance Corporation -- senior debt at
A1; prospective senior unsecured debt shelf rating of (P) A1;
preferred stock rating at "a1"; and short-term debt rating
for commercial paper at Prime-1.
American International Group, Inc. is a New York-based
holding company for an extensive network of international property and
casualty insurance, life insurance and financial services companies.
AIG is among the leading underwriters of commercial and industrial insurance
in the U.S., and it is the leading U.S.-based
international insurance organization. As of March 31, 2001,
AIG reported total consolidated assets of approximately $320.8
billion and shareholders' equity of approximately $41.8
billion. For the full year 2000, AIG reported consolidated
revenues of approximately $46.0 billion, and net income
of approximately $5.6 billion.
New York
Alan Murray
VP - Senior Credit Officer
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Investors Service
JOURNALISTS: (212) 553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: (212) 553-1653
New York
Ted Collins
Managing Director
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Investors Service
JOURNALISTS: (212) 553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: (212) 553-1653