New York, June 13, 2022 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has completed a periodic review of the ratings -and other ratings that are associated with the same analytical units for the rated entity(entities) listed below.
The review was conducted through a portfolio review discussion held on 6 June 2022 in which Moody's reassessed the appropriateness of the ratings in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. A possible outcome from periodic reviews is a referral of a rating to a rating committee.
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This publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future. Credit ratings and outlook/review status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement.
Key Rating Considerations
The principal methodology used for these rated entities was Mortgage Insurers Methodology published in November 2019. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on https://ratings.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.
Key rating considerations on a forward-looking basis may include but are not limited to the following summarized below.
Mortgage Insurers Methodology
Market Position: Market position is a key factor representing a company's ability to develop and sustain competitive advantages in its chosen markets. Metrics can include but are not limited to market share of new insurance written, prime loans as a percentage of risk-in-force, client concentration, and geographic concentration.
Housing Market Attributes: Housing market attributes such as regulation, mortgage loan characteristics, home price appreciation, and macroeconomic trends have a major influence on a mortgage insurer's credit profile. Metrics can include but are not limited to demand for mortgage insurance, generic mortgage loan attributes, and housing market conditions.
Capital Adequacy: A mortgage insurer's capital adequacy determines the extent to which it can fund growth and absorb unfavorable deviations in losses and operating results, including in stress scenarios. Metrics can include but are not limited to adjusted risk-to-capital ratio, which can incorporate nominal risk-in-force for prime and non-prime mortgages, statutory capital, regulatory capital ratios, and insurers' own capital adequacy metrics.
Profitability: A financial guarantor's earnings capacity, including earnings quality and sustainability, shows how readily it can meet policy and other financial obligations and generate capital internally. Metrics can include but are not limited to combined underwriting ratio, return on capital, return on equity, and return on revenue.
Financial Flexibility: Mortgage insurers benefit from the ability to raise capital externally for growth or acquisitions or to meet unexpected financial demands. Metrics can include but are not limited to adjusted financial leverage, total leverage, cash flow coverage, and earnings coverage, as well as holding company liquidity and access to committed credit facilities.
Other Rating Considerations: In addition to the factors discussed above, other factors such as management, enterprise risk, accounting policies and disclosures, sovereign and regulatory environment, and explicit or implicit support can affect the insurance financial strength ratings of insurance operating companies.
Instrument Notching Considerations: The ratings for debt and preferred stock instruments issued by insurance firms are generally notched down from the insurance financial strength ratings based on the issuing entity, jurisdiction, seniority, collateral, and other features of the instruments.
Arch Lenders Mortgage Indemnity Limited
Arch Mortgage Guaranty Company
Arch Mortgage Insurance Company
Compagnie Europeenne de Garanties et Cautions
Credit Logement
Essent Guaranty, Inc.
Enact Holdings, Inc.
MGIC Investment Corporation
NMI Holdings, Inc.
Radian Group Inc.
United Guaranty Residential Insurance Co.
The principal methodology used for these rated entities was Financial Guarantors Methodology published in November 2019. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on https://ratings.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.
Key rating considerations on a forward-looking basis may include but are not limited to the following summarized below.
Financial Guarantors Methodology
Market Environment and Product Strategy: The demand for financial guaranty insurance and the quality of risk written are key factors representing a financial guarantor's ability to develop and sustain competitive advantages in its chosen markets. Metrics can include but are not limited to size and growth rate of the chosen industry segment, as well as the guarantor's relative market share and the complexity and granularity of its products.
Portfolio Characteristics & Capital Adequacy: A financial guarantor's capital adequacy determines the extent to which it can fund growth and pay claims, including in stress scenarios. Metrics can include but are not limited to risk-adjusted capital coverage, which can incorporate fundamental and structured finance exposures, risk concentrations, regulatory capital ratios, insurers' own capital adequacy metrics, and Moody's point-in-time analysis.
Profitability: A financial guarantor's earnings capacity, including earnings quality and sustainability, shows how readily it can meet policy and other financial obligations and generate capital internally. Metrics can include but are not limited to underwriting margin, return on capital, return on equity, return on revenue, and volatility of such returns.
Financial Flexibility: Financial guarantors benefit from the ability to raise capital externally for growth or acquisitions or to meet unexpected financial demands. Metrics can include but are not limited to financial policy and ease of access to capital, which can incorporate financial leverage, total leverage, earnings coverage, cash flow coverage, and a record of accessing the capital markets.
Other Rating Considerations: In addition to the factors discussed above, other factors such as management, enterprise risk, accounting policies and disclosures, sovereign and regulatory environment, and explicit or implicit support can affect the insurance financial strength ratings of insurance operating companies.
Instrument Notching Considerations: The ratings for debt and preferred stock instruments issued by insurance firms are generally notched down from the insurance financial strength ratings based on the issuing entity, jurisdiction, seniority, collateral, and other features of the instruments.
Assured Guaranty Ltd.
Berkshire Hathaway Assurance Corporation
MBIA Inc.
This announcement applies only to Rated Entities with EU rated, UK rated, EU endorsed and UK endorsed ratings. Rated Entities, with Non EU rated, non UK rated, non EU endorsed and non UK endorsed ratings may be referenced herein to the extent necessary, if they are part of the same analytical unit.
Please see the Issuer page on https://ratings.moodys.com for each of the ratings covered, most updated credit rating action, rating history, and Credit Rating action Press Release including the rating rationale and factors that could lead to a rating upgrade or downgrade.
This publication does not announce a credit rating action.
For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the issuer/deal page on https://ratings.moodys.com
for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.
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