Madrid, October 15, 2013 -- Moody's Investors Service has today confirmed Caja Laboral Popular
Coop. de Credito (Caja Laboral) long-term deposit ratings
at Ba1, and its standalone bank financial strength rating (BFSR)
at D+ (equivalent to a ba1 baseline credit assessment or BCA).
All ratings carry a negative outlook. Today's rating action
concludes the review that Moody's initiated on 19 July 2013.
The confirmation of the ratings reflects the bank's ongoing resilience
to the challenging operating environment, as evidenced by the very
moderate asset-quality deterioration in Q2 2013, significantly
better than the Spanish banking system average.
RATINGS RATIONALE
--- STANDALONE BFSR AND BCA
The confirmation of Caja Laboral's standalone ratings reflects its
ongoing resilience to the challenging operating environment in Spain.
When placing Caja Laboral's standalone ratings on review for downgrade
in July 2013, Moody's considered that the bank's better
asset-quality track record (relative to domestic peers) might proven
unsustainable. Problem loans had increased significantly during
2012 and in Q1 2013. However, more recent asset-quality
data from Q2 2013 have shown a reversal to a much better-than-system
performance, with only a very moderate deterioration for the bank
during this three-month period. Moody's notes that,
in previous quarters, the increase in problem loans was largely
due to the bank's application of conservative loan classification
criteria, whereby an important portion of loans classified as problematic
were current on their payment obligations, especially in the commercial
real estate (CRE) portfolio. In Q1 2013, following the merger
with Ipar Kutxa, Caja Laboral applied its more conservative loan
classification criteria to Ipar Kutxa's original loan book and especially
to its CRE portfolio, resulting in a material increase in the volume
of problem loans.
As noted, following the bank's loan reclassification exercise,
asset-quality deterioration has significantly eased in Q2 2013,
which is significant given the sharp deterioration shown by the system
during this period: the bank's NPL ratio only increased by
0.08%, which compares with an increase of 1.14%
for the system. Moody's notes that Caja Laboral's residential
mortgage book, which represents two thirds of the bank's loan
portfolio, has been particularly resilient. NPLs for this
asset class increased by less than 0.10% in Q2 2013 (growing
to 2.2% from 2.1%), outperforming the
system average that increased by almost 1% during the same period,
to 4.9% from 4.0%. The total NPL ratio
of Caja Laboral stood at 7.9% by end June 2013, which
compares favourably to a 12.0% NPL ratio for the system.
This stronger asset quality performance of Caja Laboral relative to the
system in Q2 2013 is also observed in other asset-quality indicators
monitored by Moody's. Real-estate assets acquired
from troubled borrowers amounted to 4.1% of the total loan
book at end June 2013, actually reducing from 4.3%
as of March 2013, and which compares favourably with a system-average
ratio that Moody's estimates at almost 7% of total loans.
The rating agency also notes that system-average asset-quality
indicators have benefited from the transfer of problematic assets to Sareb,
which otherwise would have resulted in a wider gap between the performance
of Caja Laboral and the system.
Moody's will closely monitor Caja Laboral's asset-quality
performance. The rating agency notes that any sign that the bank's
asset quality performs weaker than the system, and/or any --
more than marginal -- downward revision of Moody's
economic outlook will exert downward pressure on Caja Laboral's
ratings.
--- DEPOSIT RATINGS
Caja Laboral's deposit ratings were confirmed at Ba1 following the confirmation
of the bank's BFSR. Moody's does not incorporate any expectation
of systemic or other third-party support into the ratings.
RATIONALE FOR THE NEGATIVE OUTLOOK
The negative outlook that Moody's has assigned to the BFSR and the deposit
ratings incorporates the challenges faced by the bank. These include
the continuing weak operating environment in Spain, which is characterised
by (1) the recessionary domestic economy and overall low growth expectations
for the remainder of 2013 and 2014; (2) the ongoing real-estate
crisis; (3) very high unemployment; and (4) the broader euro
area sovereign and banking crisis. These conditions will likely
lead to further asset-quality deterioration across the banking
system.
WHAT COULD CHANGE THE RATING UP/DOWN
There is currently no upward pressure on the ratings given the negative
outlook. Any upward rating pressure over the medium term would
require a significant strengthening of either the Spanish economy or the
bank's risk-absorption capacity.
Downward rating pressure could ultimately result from: (1) an acceleration
in the trend of NPL formation, both on an absolute level and in
relation to the system average; (2) any worsening in operating conditions
beyond Moody's current expectations, (i.e.,
a broader economic recession beyond the rating agency's current GDP forecast
of a 1.4% contraction for 2013 and a GDP growth forecast
between 0% and 1% for 2014); and/or a (3) weakening
of Caja Laboral's internal capital generation and risk-absorption
capacity;
Headquartered in Mondragón, Spain, Caja Laboral reported
total, audited consolidated assets of EUR25 billion at the end of
2012.
The principal methodology used in this rating was Global Banks published
in May 2013. Please see the Credit Policy page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of this methodology.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For ratings issued on a program, series or category/class of debt,
this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation
to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series
or category/class of debt 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 rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular
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 rating action, and
whose ratings may change as a result of this 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.
Alberto Postigo
Vice President - Senior Analyst
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Investors Service Espana, S.A.
Calle Principe de Vergara, 131, 6 Planta
Madrid 28002
Spain
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
Johannes Felix Wassenberg
MD - Banking
Financial Institutions Group
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service Espana, S.A.
Calle Principe de Vergara, 131, 6 Planta
Madrid 28002
Spain
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
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Moody's confirms Caja Laboral's Ba1 ratings; outlook negative