Frankfurt am Main, April 20, 2012 -- The following release represents Moody's Investors Service's summary credit
opinion on DEPFA Bank plc and includes certain regulatory disclosures
regarding its ratings. This release does not constitute any change
in Moody's ratings or rating rationale for DEPFA Bank plc and its affiliates.
Moody's current ratings on DEPFA Bank plc and its affiliates are:
Senior Unsecured (domestic and foreign currency) ratings of Baa3
Senior Unsecured MTN Program (domestic currency) ratings of (P)Baa3
Long Term Bank Deposits (domestic and foreign currency) ratings of Baa3
Bank Financial Strength ratings of E+
Subordinate (domestic currency) ratings of B3
Subordinate MTN Program (domestic currency) ratings of (P)B3
Short Term Bank Deposits (domestic and foreign currency) ratings of P-3
Hypo Public Finance Bank
Senior Unsecured (domestic and foreign currency) ratings of Baa3
Long Term Bank Deposits (domestic and foreign currency) ratings of Baa3
Short Term Bank Deposits (domestic and foreign currency) ratings of P-3
BACKED Senior Unsecured (foreign currency) ratings of Baa3
BACKED Long Term Bank Deposits (foreign currency) ratings of Baa3
BACKED Long Term Issuer rating of Baa3
DEPFA ACS Bank
Long Term Bank Deposits (domestic and foreign currency) ratings of Baa3
Bank Financial Strength ratings of E+
Short Term Bank Deposits (domestic and foreign currency) ratings of P-3
DEPFA Bank Plc New York Branch
Long Term Bank Deposits (domestic and foreign currency) ratings of Baa3
Long Term Deposit Note/CD Program (domestic currency) ratings of Baa3
Short Term Bank Deposits (domestic and foreign currency) ratings of P-3
DEPFA Funding II LP
BACKED Junior Subordinate (foreign currency) ratings of Ca, (hyb)
DEPFA Funding III LP
BACKED Preferred Stock Non-cumulative (foreign currency) ratings
of Ca, (hyb)
DEPFA FUNDING IV LP
BACKED Preferred Stock Non-cumulative (foreign currency) ratings
of Ca, (hyb)
RATINGS RATIONALE
The standalone bank financial strength rating (BFSR) of E+ assigned
to both Depfa Bank Plc and Depfa ACS, mapping to a baseline credit
assessment (BCA) of b2, reflects the intrinsic financial weaknesses
of the banks without government support.
The ratings of these two banks are constrained by their impaired funding
franchise and uncertain future as going concerns and take into account
their largely matched funding profiles as well as adequate capitalisation.
Neither of the banks are allowed to pursue new business following the
ruling of the EU Commission, but Depfa Bank Plc remains the servicer
of transferred assets on behalf of FMS Wertmanagement (FMSW, Aaa/P-1,
stable outlook), while at the same time managing a smooth run-off
of the remaining asset base. Depfa ACS will maintain and manage
the ACS cover pool along with all existing covered bonds. As Depfa
Bank Plc and its subsidiary Depfa ACS will remain closely interconnected,
their BFSRs are aligned.
The Baa3 senior unsecured debt and long-term deposit ratings of
Depfa Bank Plc - as well as the Baa3 long-term ratings of
Depfa ACS Bank - reflect our expectation of a very high probability
of systemic support. Moody's fully recognises the strong
systemic support that has been evolving since the group first experienced
distress and needed financial assistance in late September 2008.
The uplift, which had been factored into the Baa3 debt and deposit
ratings under Moody's joint default analysis (JDA) methodology,
is five notches from the banks' BCA of b2.
In Moody's opinion, Depfa Bank Plc and Depfa ACS are adequately
positioned at the lower end of the investment-grade range.
The stable outlook reflects our view that the banks will be adequately
equipped with capital and liquidity to sustain a smooth run-down
of their business.
Rating Outlook
The outlook on all ratings is stable. Moody's is of the opinion
that the Baa3 rating level for senior unsecured debt and long-term
deposits accurately reflects the German government's support for
Depfa Bank Plc and Depfa ACS Bank.
What Could Change the Rating - Up
For Depfa Bank Plc and Depfa ACS Bank, the restoration of the franchises
and the achievement of meaningful profitability on a standalone basis
is considered highly unlikely, offering limited scope for upward
rating pressure on the E+ BFSR. As a result, there is
no upward pressure on the long-term ratings.
What Could Change the Rating - Down
Downward pressure could be exerted on the banks' E+ BFSRs as
a result of any further underperformance and eroding capital, albeit
neither is currently expected. However, a degree of rating
transition risk remains for the Baa3 long-term ratings.
Moody's is not ruling out the possibility that an investor for the
remaining business could be found at a later stage. Depending on
the new owner's financial condition and commitment, Moody's
notes that such a development could result in rating changes in either
direction. A downgrade of senior unsecured and the long-term
deposit ratings of Depfa Bank Plc - as well as the ratings of Depfa
ACS Bank - could result from (i) a BFSR downgrade or (ii) less
support than currently expected by the German government.
PRINCIPAL METHODOLOGIES
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.
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.
The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entities or their designated
agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.
Information sources used to prepare each of the ratings are the following:
parties involved in the ratings, public information, and confidential
and proprietary Moody's Investors Service information.
Moody's considers the quality of information available on the rated
entities, obligations or credits satisfactory for the purposes of
issuing these ratings.
Moody's adopts all necessary measures so that the information it
uses in assigning the ratings is of sufficient quality and from sources
Moody's considers to be reliable including, when appropriate,
independent third-party sources. However, Moody's
is not an auditor and cannot in every instance independently verify or
validate information received in the rating process.
Moody's Investors Service may have provided Ancillary or Other Permissible
Service(s) to the rated entities or their related third parties within
the two years preceding the credit rating action. Please see the
special report "Ancillary or other permissible services provided
to entities rated by MIS's EU credit rating agencies" on the
ratings disclosure page on our website www.moodys.com for
further information.
Please see the ratings disclosure page on www.moodys.com
for general disclosure on potential conflicts of interests.
Please see the ratings disclosure page on www.moodys.com
for information on (A) MCO's major shareholders (above 5%)
and for (B) further information regarding certain affiliations that may
exist between directors of MCO and rated entities as well as (C) the names
of entities that hold ratings from MIS that have also publicly reported
to the SEC an ownership interest in MCO of more than 5%.
A member of the board of directors of this rated entity may also be a
member of the board of directors of a shareholder of Moody's Corporation;
however, Moody's has not independently verified this matter.
Please see Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions on the Rating
Process page on www.moodys.com for further information on
the meaning of each rating category and the definition of default and
recovery.
Please see ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com
for the last rating action and the rating history. The date on
which some ratings were first released goes back to a time before Moody's
ratings were fully digitized and accurate data may not be available.
Consequently, Moody's provides a date that it believes is
the most reliable and accurate based on the information that is available
to it. Please see the ratings disclosure page on our website www.moodys.com
for further information.
Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to
the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has
issued the rating.
Mathias Kuelpmann
Senior Vice President
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Deutschland GmbH
An der Welle 5
Frankfurt am Main 60322
Germany
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
Carola Schuler
MD - Banking
Financial Institutions Group
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
Releasing Office:
Moody's Deutschland GmbH
An der Welle 5
Frankfurt am Main 60322
Germany
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
Moody's Disclosures on Credit Rating of DEPFA Bank plc