Frankfurt am Main, January 28, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has today assigned a definitive
Aa2 long-term rating to the Renewable Energy Covered Bonds (Lettre
de Gage énergies renouvelables or covered bonds) issued by NORD/LB
Luxembourg S.A. Covered Bond Bank (the issuer), (deposits
A3, stable; adjusted baseline credit assessment ba1; counterparty
risk (CR) assessment A3(cr)), which are governed by the Luxembourg
legal framework for covered bonds.
RATINGS RATIONALE
A covered bond benefits from: (1) the issuer's promise to pay interest
and principal on the bonds; and (2) following a CB anchor event,
the economic benefit of a collateral pool (the cover pool). The
rating therefore reflects the following factors:
(1) The credit strength of NORD/LB Luxembourg S.A. Covered
Bond Bank (deposits A3, stable; adjusted baseline credit assessment
ba1; counterparty risk (CR) assessment A3(cr)).
(2) Following a CB anchor event the value of the cover pool. The
stressed level of losses on the cover pool assets following a CB anchor
event (cover pool losses) for this transaction is 34.1%.
Moody's considered the following factors in its analysis of the cover
pool's value:
a) The credit quality of the assets backing the covered bonds.
The renewable energy covered bonds are backed by renewable energy project
finance loans. The collateral score for the cover pool is 31.3%.
b) The legal framework and the structure of the programme. Notable
aspects of the legislation for the renewable energy covered bonds compared
to the Luxembourg-law based public-sector covered bonds
include a 12-month soft bullet maturity feature of the covered
bonds.
c) The exposure to market risk, which is 18.5% for
this cover pool.
d) The over-collateralisation (OC) in the cover pool is 19.4%
of which NORD/LB Luxembourg S.A. Covered Bond Bank provides
2.0% on a "committed" basis (see Key Rating
Assumptions/Factors, below).
The "timely payment indicator" (TPI) assigned to this transaction is Improbable.
Moody's TPI framework does not constrain the rating of the covered bonds
at its current level.
As per 31 August 2019, the total value of the assets included in
the cover pool was approximately EUR 358.3million, comprising
25 renewable energy project loans. 20 of these projects are wind
farms (85.6% of nominal value) and five are solar energy
projects (14.4%). 61.3% of the total
cover pool amount is backed by projects in Ireland, while the remainder
is backed by projects in France, UK, Germany and Sweden.
KEY RATING ASSUMPTIONS/FACTORS
Moody's determines covered bond ratings using a two-step process:
an expected loss analysis and a TPI framework analysis.
EXPECTED LOSS: Moody's uses its Covered Bond Model (COBOL) to determine
a rating based on the expected loss on the bond. COBOL determines
expected loss as: (1) a function of the probability that the issuer
will cease making payments under the covered bonds (a CB anchor event);
and (2) the stressed losses on the cover pool assets following a CB anchor
event.
The CB anchor for this programme is CR assessment plus 1 notch.
The cover pool losses for NORD/LB Luxembourg S.A. Covered
Bond Bank's renewable energy covered bonds are 34.1%.
This is an estimate of the losses Moody's currently models following a
CB anchor event. Moody's splits cover pool losses between market
risk of 18.5% and collateral risk of 15.6%.
Market risk measures losses stemming from refinancing risk and risks related
to interest-rate and currency mismatches (these losses may also
include certain legal risks). Collateral risk measures losses resulting
directly from cover pool assets' credit quality. Moody's derives
collateral risk from the collateral score, which for this programme
is currently 31.3%.
The over-collateralisation in the cover pool is 19.4%,
of which NORD/LB Luxembourg S.A. Covered Bond Bank provides
2.0% on a "committed" basis. Under Moody's
COBOL model, the minimum OC consistent with the Aa2 rating is 8.5%,
of which the issuer provides 2.0% in "committed"
form. These numbers show that Moody's is relying on "uncommitted"
OC in its expected loss analysis.
For further details on cover pool losses, collateral risk,
market risk, collateral score and TPI Leeway across covered bond
programmes rated by Moody's please refer to "Covered Bonds Sector Update",
published quarterly.
TPI FRAMEWORK: Moody's assigns a "timely payment indicator" (TPI),
which measures the likelihood of timely payments to covered bondholders
following a CB anchor event. The TPI framework limits the covered
bond rating to a certain number of notches above the CB anchor.
RATING METHODOLOGY
The methodologies used in this rating were "Moody's Approach to Rating
Covered Bonds" published in February 2019, and "Project Finance
and Infrastructure Asset CDOs Methodology" published in December 2019.
Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of these methodologies.
FACTORS THAT WOULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATING:
The CB anchor is the main determinant of a covered bond programme's rating
robustness. A change in the level of the CB anchor could lead to
an upgrade or downgrade of the covered bonds. The TPI Leeway measures
the number of notches by which Moody's might lower the CB anchor before
the rating agency downgrades the covered bonds because of TPI framework
constraints.
Based on the current TPI of "Improbable", the TPI Leeway for this
programme is one notch. This implies that Moody's might downgrade
the covered bonds because of a TPI cap if it lowers the CB anchor by two
notches all other variables being equal.
A multiple-notch downgrade of the covered bonds might occur in
certain circumstances, such as: (1) a country ceiling or sovereign
downgrade capping a covered bond rating or negatively affecting the CB
Anchor and the TPI; (2) a multiple-notch downgrade of the
CB Anchor; or (3) a material reduction of the value of the cover
pool.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity
analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity
to Assumptions of the disclosure form.
Moody's did not use any stress scenario simulations in its analysis.
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.
Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit
rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating
review.
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.
Martin Lenhard
VP - Senior Credit Officer
Structured Finance Group
Moody's Deutschland GmbH
An der Welle 5
Frankfurt am Main 60322
Germany
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454
Juan Pablo Soriano
MD - Structured Finance
Structured Finance Group
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454
Releasing Office:
Moody's Deutschland GmbH
An der Welle 5
Frankfurt am Main 60322
Germany
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454