New York, April 12, 2012 -- The following release represents Moody's Investors Service's summary credit
opinion on Banco Votorantim S.A. and includes certain regulatory
disclosures regarding its ratings. This release does not constitute
any change in Moody's ratings or rating rationale for Banco Votorantim
S.A. and its affiliates.
Moody's current ratings on Banco Votorantim S.A. and its
affiliates are:
Senior Unsecured (domestic and foreign currency) ratings of Baa1
Senior Unsecured MTN Program (foreign currency) ratings of (P)Baa1
Long Term Bank Deposits (domestic currency) ratings of A3, on review
for downgrade
Long Term Bank Deposits (foreign currency) ratings of Baa2
Bank Financial Strength ratings of C-, on review for downgrade
Subordinate (foreign currency) ratings of Baa1, on review for downgrade
Short Term Bank Deposits (domestic and foreign currency) ratings of P-2
Other Short Term (foreign currency) ratings of (P)P-2
NSR Long Term Bank Deposits (domestic currency) ratings of Aaa.br
NSR Short Term Bank Deposits (domestic currency) ratings of BR-1
Banco Votorantim S.A. (Nassau Branch)
Senior Unsecured (foreign currency) ratings of Baa1
Senior Unsecured MTN Program (foreign currency) ratings of (P)Baa1
Other Short Term (foreign currency) ratings of (P)P-2
RATING RATIONALE
Moody's assigns Banco Votorantim S.A. (Banco Votorantim)
a C- bank financial strength rating (under review for downgrade),
which translates into a Baseline Risk Assessment of Baa2. The rating
reflects Banco Votorantim's well-established position as a wholesale
bank, catering to high-quality corporate customers,
as well as the important consumer finance franchise that has improved
the quality of the bank's earnings by increasing revenue stability and
diversification over the last eight years. In addition, Banco
Votorantim has developed a middle market lending platform that should
help the bank to expand into better-yielding commercial lending
products that are supported by strong collateral structures. At
the same time, the expansion reduces the concentration risk inherent
in its corporate lending book.
The ongoing adjustments to the bank's provisioning policies, which
started in 2Q11, should continue to put pressure on profitability
metrics. At the same time, we have a positive view of the
recent actions management has taken to refocus its retail lending activities
towards less volatile business lines and enhance the balance sheet by
building additional reserves, maintaining high levels of liquidity,
and exiting capital intensive businesses.
The unsupported rating still takes into account the challenges related
to having a predominantly wholesale-funded consumer finance operation,
a condition that heightens liquidity risk and also has a negative effect
on profitability. Moody's, however, acknowledges that
the partnership with Banco do Brasil, and its leading liquidity
capacity, have been benefiting Banco Votorantim's funding conditions
ever since the deal was announced, ensuring strong loan origination
by the bank.
The A3 long-term global local currency deposit rating (under review
for downgrade) is the result of (1) Banco Votorantim's unsupported rating
of C- (under review), which translates into a baseline credit
assessment of Baa2 and (2) Moody's view that the likelihood of the bank
receiving support from Banco do Brasil S.A. (BB) is high,
given the strategic importance of the partnership for BB's consumer finance
expansion targets. Moody's does not incorporate any systemic support
into the bank's ratings.
Rating Outlook
The BFSR and GLC ratings are currently under review for downgrade.
Please see Recent Credit Developments for more details.
The outlook on the foreign currency deposit and senior unsecured debt
ratings assigned to notes issued by Banco Votorantim S.A.
Nassau Branch is stable, is stable.
What Could Change the Rating - Up
Any upward pressure on Banco Votorantim's BFSR and GLC ratings is currently
unlikely given the existing review for downgrade.
What Could Change the Rating - Down
Severe deterioration in both asset quality and profitability indicators
could pressure Banco Votorantim's unsupported BFSR, particularly
if margins were to suffer from intense competition in the bank's targeted
markets, or from lowered margins. Changes in asset / liability
management or sustained decrease in total capital ratios without corrective
action would also have negative implications for the ratings.
Other negative pressure on Banco Votorantim's supported ratings could
ultimately result from the downgrade of its shareholder Banco do Brasil.
The methodologies used in these ratings were Bank Financial Strength Ratings:
Global Methodology published in February 2007, and Incorporation
of Joint-Default Analysis into Moody's Bank Ratings: Global
Methodology published in March 2012. Please see the Credit Policy
page on www.moodys.com for a copy of these methodologies.
The Local Market analyst for these ratings is Ceres Lisboa, 55-11-3043-7317
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
The Global Scale Credit Ratings on this press release that are issued
by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU are endorsed by Moody's
Investors Service Ltd., One Canada Square, Canary Wharf,
London E 14 5FA, UK, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph
3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies.
Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's
office that has issued a particular Credit Rating is available on www.moodys.com.
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
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the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has
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Jeanne Del Casino
VP - Senior Credit Officer
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Maria Celina Vansetti-Hutchins
MD - Banking
Financial Institutions 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 Disclosures on Credit Rating of Banco Votorantim S.A.