Sao Paulo, October 29, 2012 -- Moody's Investors Service has affirmed the Baa1 global local currency
(GLC) insurance financial strength (IFS) rating of Chubb do Brasil Companhia
de Seguros (Chubb do Brasil) and changed the outlook on the rating to
positive from stable. At the same time, Moody's has
affirmed the Aaa.br national scale IFS rating with a stable outlook.
RATINGS RATIONALE:
According to Moody's, the rating affirmation is based on the
company´s broad product offering and solid capitalization levels
-- with lower operating leverage than most local peers.
The rating agency added that the continued support and oversight of the
insurer's ultimate parent company, The Chubb Corporation (rated
A2 for senior unsecured debt), further strengthens the company's
overall credit profile. Counterbalancing these strengths are Chubb
do Brasil's relatively modest penetration in the local general insurance
market, and Brazil's relatively weak operating environment.
In revising the outlook for Chubb do Brasil's rating to positive
from stable, Moody's explained that the action is based primarily
on recent improvement in the firm's underwriting results and the
expectation for stronger profitability going forward. Moody's
expects that profitability will remain at adequate levels (4-8%
returns on capital in real terms), supported by the company's
disciplined underwriting policies, despite the declining trend in
interest rates that will pressure net investment income. The positive
outlook also reflects the rating agency's view that the company's
asset quality and financial flexibility will improve to an extent to justify
a higher rating for Chubb do Brasil in the event that Brazil's sovereign
credit rating (Baa2, positive outlook) is ultimately upgraded.
Moody's noted that Chubb do Brasil's investment portfolio
has been highly concentrated in Brazilian government bonds.
Chubb do Brasil's ability to generate internal capital, along
with support from parent company, The Chubb Corporation --
both in terms of past capital injection and capacity from the group's
reinsurer, Federal Insurance Company (IFS rating of Aa2) --
have enabled the company to sustain solid capitalization levels and increase
penetration in the strategic segments of the local market. These
positive credit considerations are offset by the concentration of Chubb
do Brasil's investment portfolio in Brazilian government bonds,
its modest penetration in the local general insurance market in Brazil,
with about 1.5% market share, as well as Brazil's
operating environment, which exerts a mildly negative influence
on Chubb do Brasil's credit rating.
Among factors that could lead to an upgrade of Chubb do Brasil's
ratings, Moody's noted the following: 1) improvement
in Brazil's government bond rating or in the country's operating
environment, 2) additional improvement in the company's profitability,
with return on capital above 12% and combined ratio consistently
below 100%; and 3) stronger explicit support from The Chubb
Corporation or one of its affiliates. Conversely, the company's
ratings could be downgraded should one of the following take place:
1) profitability deteriorates, consistently reporting returns on
capital below 10%; 2) gross underwriting leverage deteriorates
to above 5x shareholders' equity; 3) support from the parent
company and affiliates decline, or the company is sold; 4)
parent company's rating is downgraded; and/or 5) downgrade
of Brazil's government bond rating or deterioration in the country's
operating enviornment.
Chubb do Brasil, based in São Paulo, Brazil,
is the largest operation of The Chubb Corporation in Latin America.
On June 30, 2012, the company reported total assets of BRL1,086.7
million and shareholders' equity of BRL382.1 million.
As of the first half of the year, Chubb do Brasil's gross
premium amounted to BRL408.8 million and net income totaled BRL20.5
million.
The principal methodology used in this rating was "Moody's Global Rating
Methodology for Property and Casualty Insurers", published in May
2010. Please see the Credit Policy page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of this methodology.
Moody's insurance financial strength ratings are opinions of the ability
of insurance companies to pay punctually senior policyholder claims and
obligations.
NOTE: Moody's National Scale Ratings (NSRs) are intended as relative
measures of creditworthiness among debt issues and issuers within a country,
enabling market participants to better differentiate relative risks.
NSRs differ from Moody's global scale ratings in that they are not globally
comparable with the full universe of Moody's rated entities, but
only with NSRs for other rated debt issues and issuers within the same
country. NSRs are designated by a ".nn" country modifier
signifying the relevant country, as in ".mx" for Mexico.
For further information on Moody's approach to national scale ratings,
please refer to Moody's Rating Implementation Guidance published in October
2012 entitled "Mapping Moody's National Scale Ratings to Global Scale
Ratings.
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
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.
Moody's adopts all necessary measures so that the information it
uses in assigning a rating 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.
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.
Diego Kashiwakura
Asst Vice President - Analyst
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's America Latina Ltda.
Avenida Nacoes Unidas, 12.551
16th Floor, Room 1601
Sao Paulo, SP 04578-903
Brazil
JOURNALISTS: 800-891-2518
SUBSCRIBERS: 55-11-3043-7300
Robert Riegel
MD - Insurance
Financial Institutions Group
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Releasing Office:
Moody's America Latina Ltda.
Avenida Nacoes Unidas, 12.551
16th Floor, Room 1601
Sao Paulo, SP 04578-903
Brazil
JOURNALISTS: 800-891-2518
SUBSCRIBERS: 55-11-3043-7300
Moody's affirms Chubb do Brasil's rating; changes outlook to positive