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Rating Action:

Moody’s affirms Seguros Sura (URUGUAY) Baa3 rating; outlook changed to stable

23 April 2021


New York , April 23, 2021 – Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has affirmed the Baa3 global local-currency insurance financial strength (IFS) rating of Seguros Sura S.A. (URUGUAY) (Sura Uruguay). The outlook was changed to stable from negative.

RATINGS RATIONALE

The affirmation of Sura Uruguay's rating reflects its important market presence in Uruguay's Property and Casualty (P&C) insurance industry, its good asset quality -mostly composed of investment grade securities- a good product diversification, and its relatively good track record of underwriting profits despite the drop in 2018. Sura Uruguay's capital adequacy has fallen below peers due to steep dividend payouts in the last few years. However, it is still adequate and supports its overall credit profile. As of December 2020, the company's Moody's adjusted Gross Underwriting Leverage stood at 4.4x, from 4.2x in 2019 and 5.0x in 2018.

Furthermore, the change in the company's rating outlook to stable from negative reflects the recovery in its underwriting results in the last two years from the losses reported in 2018. Also, this change considers Moody's expectations that Sura Uruguay will be able to keep a stable credit profile consistent with its Baa3 rating over the coming 12 to 18 months.

Competitive pressures in the Uruguayan automobile insurance industry -Sura Uruguay's main line of business- continue to be significant. However, we expect that the measures taken by the company to recover its profitability will likely lead to more stable underwriting results. Furthermore, the company will likely benefit as well from strong earnings from other lines of business, which would in turn support its capital adequacy.

Sura Uruguay, similarly to many peers in the Uruguayan insurance industry, had suffered in 2018 steep losses in its automobile portfolio. This was mainly caused by price competition and increased claim frequency and severity, which led to net losses and a reduction in its capital adequacy. Since then, the company has adjusted premium rates and its underwriting standards, which have all led to a gradual recovery of its profitability metrics. Despite the fact that the company's underwriting losses are still high in the automobile segment, it's overall profitability metrics have benefited from solid underwriting performance in its other lines of business. As of December 2020 the company's Return on Capital (ROC) increased to 21.2% form 15.6% in 2019 and a negative 20.9% (-20.9%) in 2018, the latter being adjusted for inflation.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATING

Sura Uruguay's ratings could be upgraded if: 1) combined ratios improve, with metrics persistently below 100% for its main business lines, 2) a recovery on its capital metrics, with gross underwriting leverage consistently below 3.5x, or 3) an upgrade of Uruguay's sovereign rating.

Sura Uruguay's ratings could be downgraded if: 1) profitability declines, with combined ratios consistently above 100%, 2) its capital adequacy weakens, with gross underwriting leverage consistently above 5.0x, or 3) a downgrade of Uruguay's sovereign rating or a deterioration of the country's operating environment.

Headquartered in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sura Uruguay reported net profit of UYU 238 million and gross premiums written of UYU 3.7 billion for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2020. As of that date, the company reported total assets of UYU 4.4 billion and shareholders' equity of UYU 1,085 million.

The principal methodology used in this rating was Property and Casualty Insurers Methodology published in November 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1187352 . Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004 .

For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security 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 certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain 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.

For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

The rating has been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.

This rating is solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1243406 .

The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, 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 issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com.

The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the UK and is endorsed by Moody's Investors Service Limited, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5FA under the law applicable to credit rating agencies in the UK. Further information on the UK endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com.

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.

Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.

Marcelo De Gruttola
VP-Senior Analyst
Financial Institutions Group
JOURNALISTS : 1 800 666 3506
Client Service : 1 212 553 1653

Marc R. Pinto, CFA
MD-Financial Institutions
Financial Institutions Group
JOURNALISTS : 1 212 553 0376
Client Service : 1 212 553 1653

Releasing Office :
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
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JOURNALISTS : 1 212 553 0376
Client Service : 1 212 553 1653

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