Limassol, July 03, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") has
today assigned a local currency A3 rating to the recently issued NOK1
billion senior non-preferred notes of SpareBank 1 Ostlandet.
The senior non-preferred notes, which are classed as "junior
senior" unsecured notes by Moody's are ranked junior to other senior unsecured
obligations, including senior unsecured debt, and senior to
subordinated debt issuances of the bank.
RATINGS RATIONALE
ASSIGNMENT OF JUNIOR SENIOR NOTES RATING INCORPORATES THE LIKELY MODERATE
LOSS SEVERITY FOR THIS TYPE OF INSTRUMENT
The A3 rating assigned to the bank's NOK1 billion junior senior
notes reflects: (1) SpareBank 1 Ostlandet's adjusted baseline
credit assessment (BCA) of a3; (2) Moody's advanced forward-looking
LGF analysis of the bank's liability structure by the end of 2023
when the bank needs to fully meet its MREL with such junior senior notes,
which indicates likely moderate loss severity for this instrument in the
event of the bank's failure, leading to a positioning at the same
level as the bank's adjusted BCA; and (3) Moody's assumption of a
low probability of government support for this new instrument, resulting
in no rating uplift.
SpareBank 1 Ostlandet is subject to the EU's Bank Recovery and Resolution
Directive (BRRD) based on the implementation of the relevant law that
transposed BRRD in Norway from 1 January 2019. Accordingly,
Moody's considers Norway to be an Operational Resolution Regime.
The senior non-preferred class of debt has been introduced in Norway
in order to allow banks to issue a class of debt which is senior to regulatory
capital instruments and junior to other senior obligations, facilitating
loss-absorption and recapitalisation via a debt conversion or write-down
of the junior senior notes in resolution. For this to be effective,
banks must have eligible capital and liabilities that fulfil the MREL
requirements.
Please see the report "Banks - Nordic Countries: FAQ:
Nordic banks' new non-preferred senior debt instruments" (https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1122335)
for additional details on the junior senior notes and the risks they pose
to creditors.
STABLE OUTLOOK ON LONG-TERM DEPOSIT AND SENIOR UNSECURED DEBT RATINGS
DRIVEN BY EXPECTED RESILIENT PERFORMANCE
Although ratings assigned to junior senior securities do not carry an
outlook, Moody's notes that the bank's deposit and debt ratings
carry a stable outlook, balancing its robust financial performance
with downside risks stemming from its dependence on market funding and
real-estate and home prices, especially in the Oslo region.
Despite the challenges posed on the economy by the coronavirus pandemic
and reduced oil prices, we believe that the bank has the earnings
and capital buffers to shield its solvency during this difficult period.
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATING
SpareBank 1 Ostlandet's junior senior rating could be upgraded or downgraded
in response to an upgrade or downgrade of its BCA.
Upward BCA pressure will develop if SpareBank 1 Ostlandet demonstrates:
(1) strong sustainable asset quality and low impairments in its retail
and corporate books; (2) comfortable liquidity on an on-going
basis; and/or (3) stronger earnings generation without an increase
in its risk profile combined with an improved normalised cost-to-income
ratio.
Future downward BCA pressure could arise if: (1) SpareBank 1 Ostlandet's
problem loan ratio increases significantly above its similarly rated peers;
(2) financing conditions become more difficult impairing its ability to
raise low-cost market funding; (3) its risk profile increases,
as a result of increased exposures to more volatile sectors resulting
in asset quality deterioration; and/or (4) the macroeconomic environment
deteriorates, leading to adverse developments in the Norwegian real-estate
market and to a lower Macro Profile.
SpareBank 1 Ostlandet's junior senior rating could also be downgraded
following lower than expected issuance of MREL-eligible securities
leading to a reduction in the rating uplift through our advanced forward-looking
LGF analysis.
LIST OF AFFECTED RATINGS
..Issuer: SpareBank 1 Ostlandet
Assignments:
Junior Senior Unsecured (Domestic), Assigned A3
PRINCIPAL METHODOLOGY
The principal methodology used in this rating was Banks Methodology published
in November 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1147865.
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_1133569.
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.
Nondas Nicolaides
VP - Senior Credit Officer
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Investors Service Cyprus Ltd.
Porto Bello Building
1, Siafi Street, 3042 Limassol
PO Box 53205
Limassol CY 3301
Cyprus
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454
Sean Marion
MD - Financial Institutions
Financial Institutions Group
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service Cyprus Ltd.
Porto Bello Building
1, Siafi Street, 3042 Limassol
PO Box 53205
Limassol CY 3301
Cyprus
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454