Moody's announces bank rating actions for United Arab Emirates resulting from implementation of JDA and BFSR methodologies
New York, April 24, 2007 -- Moody's Investors Service today published the rating results for banks
in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of the application of its refined
joint default analysis (JDA) and updated bank financial strength rating
(BFSR) methodologies.
BFSRs evaluate the stand-alone or intrinsic financial strength
of banks without reference to external support factors. BFSRs are
the starting point of Moody's bank credit analysis, and are
an important determinant of Moody's bank deposit and debt ratings.
Moody's then uses its JDA methodology to incorporate the potential
for external support into a bank's local currency deposit rating.
The potential for external support can reduce the riskiness of a bank's
deposit and debt obligations; however, such support is often
uncertain. Moody's uses conservative support assumptions
and a limited number of support levels to ensure that sufficient weight
is given to a bank's intrinsic financial strength in its bank deposit
and debt ratings.
Moody's uses deposit ratings to determine bank debt ratings based
on its notching guidelines for bank securities. Ratings for foreign
currency obligations are determined after considering Moody's country
ceilings for foreign currency ratings.
The methodologies are being implemented country by country, with
results being announced on a weekly basis. Results for those banks
with a parent bank located in another country where the methodologies
have not yet been implemented will be concluded at the same time as the
parent.
This press release lists the names of issuers in UAE whose ratings have
gone through this process. To view all ratings changes and other
documents explaining Moody's bank rating methodologies, please
go to www.moodys.com/JDABanks.
The issuers and their ratings are as follows:
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank PJSC:
- BFSR has been changed to C- from D+.
- Global Local Currency Deposit Ratings of Aa3/Prime-1 have
been assigned.
- Foreign Currency Deposit Ratings remain unchanged at Aa3/Prime-1.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for senior debt obligations remains
unchanged at Aa3.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for subordinated obligations remains
unchanged at A1.
- Commercial Paper Rating remains unchanged at Prime-1.
- All ratings are assigned stable outlooks.
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank PJSC:
- BFSR remains unchanged at D.
- Global Local Currency Issuer Ratings of A2/Prime-1 have
been assigned.
- Foreign Currency Issuer Ratings remain unchanged at A2/Prime-1.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for senior debt obligations (sukuk)
remains unchanged at A2.
- All ratings are assigned stable outlooks.
Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC:
- BFSR remains unchanged at D+.
- Global Local Currency Issuer Ratings of A1/Prime-1 have
been assigned.
- Foreign Currency Issuer Ratings remain unchanged at A1/Prime-1.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for senior debt obligations (sukuk)
remains unchanged at A1.
- All ratings are assigned stable outlooks.
Emirates Bank International PJSC:
- BFSR remains unchanged at C-.
- Global Local Currency Deposit Ratings of A1/Prime-1 have
been assigned.
- Foreign Currency Deposit Ratings remain unchanged at A1/Prime-1.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for senior debt obligations remains
unchanged at A1.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for subordinated obligations remains
unchanged at A2.
- Commercial Paper Rating remains unchanged at Prime-1.
- All ratings are assigned stable outlooks.
HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd:
- BFSR remains unchanged at C+.
- Global Local Currency Deposit Ratings of Aa2/Prime-1 have
been assigned.
- Foreign Currency Deposit Ratings have been upgraded to Aa2/Prime-1
from Aa3/Prime-1.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for senior debt obligations has
been upgraded to Aa2 from Aa3.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for subordinated obligations has
been upgraded to Aa3 from A1.
- All ratings are assigned stable outlooks.
HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd (UAE branches):
- Global Local Currency Deposit Ratings of Aa2/Prime-1 have
been assigned.
- Foreign Currency Deposit Ratings remain unchanged at Aa3/Prime-1.
- All ratings are assigned stable outlooks.
Mashreqbank PSC:
- BFSR remains unchanged at C-.
- Global Local Currency Deposit Ratings of A2/Prime-1 have
been assigned.
- Foreign Currency Deposit Ratings remain unchanged at A2/Prime-1.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for senior debt obligations remains
unchanged at A2.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for subordinated obligations remains
unchanged at A3.
- All ratings are assigned stable outlooks.
National Bank of Abu Dhabi:
- BFSR remains unchanged at C.
- Global Local Currency Deposit Ratings of Aa3/Prime-1 have
been assigned.
- Foreign Currency Deposit Ratings remain unchanged at Aa3/Prime-1.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for senior debt obligations remains
unchanged at Aa3.
- All ratings are assigned stable outlooks.
National Bank of Dubai PJSC:
- BFSR has been changed to C- from D+.
- Global Local Currency Deposit Ratings of A1/Prime-1 have
been assigned.
- Foreign Currency Deposit Ratings remain unchanged at A1/Prime-1.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for senior debt obligations remains
unchanged at A1.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for subordinated obligations remains
unchanged at A2.
- Commercial Paper Rating remains unchanged at Prime-1.
- All ratings are assigned stable outlooks.
National Bank of Ras Al-Khaimah (RAKBANK):
- BFSR remains unchanged at D+.
- Global Local Currency Deposit Ratings of Baa1/Prime-2
have been assigned.
- Foreign Currency Deposit Ratings remain unchanged at Baa1/Prime-2.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for senior debt obligations remains
unchanged at Baa1.
- All ratings are assigned stable outlooks.
Union National Bank PJSC:
- BFSR remains unchanged at D+.
- Global Local Currency Deposit Ratings of A1/Prime-1 have
been assigned.
- Foreign Currency Deposit Ratings remain unchanged at A1/Prime-1.
- Foreign Currency Debt Rating for senior debt obligations remains
unchanged at A1.
- All ratings are assigned stable outlooks.
ABOUT MOODY'S BANK RATINGS
Bank Financial Strength Rating
Moody's Bank Financial Strength Ratings (BFSRs) represent Moody's opinion
of a bank's intrinsic safety and soundness and, as such, exclude
certain external credit risks and credit support elements that are addressed
by Moody's Bank Deposit Ratings. Bank Financial Strength Ratings
do not take into account the probability that the bank will receive such
external support, nor do they address risks arising from sovereign
actions that may interfere with a bank's ability to honor its domestic
or foreign currency obligations. Factors considered in the assignment
of Bank Financial Strength Ratings include bank-specific elements
such as financial fundamentals, franchise value, and business
and asset diversification. Although Bank Financial Strength Ratings
exclude the external factors specified above, they do take into
account other risk factors in the bank's operating environment,
including the strength and prospective performance of the economy,
as well as the structure and relative fragility of the financial system,
and the quality of banking regulation and supervision.
Global Local Currency Deposit Rating
A deposit rating, as an opinion of relative credit risk, incorporates
the Bank Financial Strength Rating as well as Moody's opinion of any external
support. Specifically, Moody's Bank Deposit Ratings are opinions
of a bank's ability to repay punctually its deposit obligations.
As such, Moody's Global Local Currency Bank Deposit Ratings are
intended to incorporate those aspects of credit risk relevant to the prospective
payment performance of rated banks with respect to local currency deposit
obligations, and includes: intrinsic financial strength and
both implicit and explicit external support elements. Moody's Bank
Deposit Ratings do not take into account the benefit of deposit insurance
schemes which make payments to depositors, but they do recognize
the potential support from schemes that may provide assistance to banks
directly.
Foreign Currency Deposit Rating
Moody's ratings on foreign currency bank obligations derive from the bank's
local currency rating for the same class of obligation. The implementation
of JDA for banks can lead to a high local currency ratings for certain
banks, which could also produce high foreign currency ratings.
Nevertheless, it should be reminded that foreign currency deposit
ratings are in all cases constrained by the country ceiling for foreign
currency bank deposits. This may result in the assignment of a
different, and typically lower, rating for the foreign currency
deposits relative to the bank's rating for local currency obligations.
Foreign Currency Debt Rating
Foreign currency debt ratings are derived from the bank's local currency
debt rating for the same class of obligation. In a similar way
to foreign currency deposit ratings, foreign currency debt obligations
may also be constrained by the country ceiling for foreign currency bonds
and notes, however, in some cases the ratings on foreign currency
debt obligations may be allowed to pierce the foreign currency ceiling.
A particular mix of rating factors are taken into consideration in order
to assess whether a foreign currency bond rating pierces the country ceiling.
They include the issuer's global local currency rating, the foreign
currency government bond rating, the country ceiling for bonds and
the debt's eligibility to pierce that ceiling.
National Scale Rating
National scale ratings are intended primarily for use by domestic investors
and are not comparable to Moody's globally applicable ratings; rather
they address relative credit risk within a given country. An Aaa
rating on Moody's National Scale indicates an issuer or issue with the
strongest creditworthiness and the lowest likelihood of credit loss relative
to other domestic issuers. National Scale Ratings, therefore,
rank domestic issuers relative to each other and not relative to absolute
default risks. National ratings isolate systemic risks; they
do not address loss expectation associated with systemic events that could
affect all issuers, even those that receive the highest ratings
on the National Scale.
Limassol
Mardig Haladjian
General Manager
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Investors Service Cyprus Limited
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
Limassol
Constantinos Pittalis
Vice President - Senior Analyst
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Investors Service Cyprus Limited
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454