New York, November 14, 2013 -- Moody's Investors Service downgraded the long-term ratings of Northern
Trust Corporation and its subsidiaries. Northern Trust's
senior debt rating was lowered to A2 from A1 and the standalone bank financial
strength rating (BFSR)/baseline credit assessment (BCA) of its lead operating
bank, Northern Trust Company, was lowered to B-/a1
from B/aa3. The bank's long-term deposit rating was
lowered to A1 from Aa3. The Prime-1 rating of Northern Trust
and its subsidiaries was not on review and was affirmed. The outlook
on Northern Trust and its subsidiaries is now stable.
Today's rating action concludes the review for downgrade of Northern
Trust that commenced on July 2, 2013.
RATINGS RATIONALE
The downgrade of Northern Trust reflects its profitability pressures.
Specifically, in the current challenging operating environment,
including a protracted period of low interest rates, Northern Trust's
net interest margin has compressed and its noninterest income from sources
tied to interest rates has been reduced (e.g., money
market fee waivers). Moreover, the bank's revenue in
some ancillary businesses is hindered by changed market dynamics,
including lower foreign exchange fees and reduced securities lending demand
following client losses during the financial crisis. Together,
these challenges have exposed vulnerabilities in Northern Trust's
business model, including the difficulty of re-pricing its
largest relationships, that were concealed when interest rates and
the operating environment were more robust.
Although Northern Trust is engaged in a broad efficiency initiative that
has somewhat offset these pressures and supports its earnings by leveraging
technology, transforming core processes and generally reducing expenses,
the rating agency does not expect an enduring competitive advantage to
emerge. This reflects the fact that much of the industry is engaged
in similar efficiency initiatives.
Notwithstanding the downgrade, Northern Trust has a strong,
sustainable franchise in asset servicing and asset management.
Moody's expects Northern Trust's durable businesses,
strong balance sheet and good capitalization will continue to result in
above-average ratings.
Moreover, unlike its custody bank peers, Northern Trust has
been less susceptible to litigation risk, and its securities portfolio
is more conservatively structured, with a focus on short duration
high quality investments.
Downgrades:
..Issuer: Northern Trust Company
.... Bank Financial Strength Rating,
Downgraded to B- from B
.... Issuer Rating, Downgraded to A1
from Aa3
....OSO Senior Unsecured OSO Rating,
Downgraded to A1 from Aa3
....Multiple Seniority Bank Note Program,
Downgraded to (P)A2 from (P)A1
....Multiple Seniority Bank Note Program,
Downgraded to (P)A1 from (P)Aa3
....Subordinate Regular Bond/Debenture Aug
15, 2018, Downgraded to A2 from A1
....Subordinate Regular Bond/Debenture Nov
9, 2017, Downgraded to A2 from A1
....Subordinate Regular Bond/Debenture Mar
11, 2015, Downgraded to A2 from A1
....Senior Unsecured Deposit Rating,
Downgraded to A1 from Aa3
..Issuer: Northern Trust Corporation
.... Issuer Rating, Downgraded to A2
from A1
....Multiple Seniority Shelf Jul 28,
2014, Downgraded to (P)A2 from (P)A1
....Multiple Seniority Shelf Jul 28,
2014, Downgraded to (P)A3 from (P)A2
....Multiple Seniority Shelf Jul 28,
2014, Downgraded to (P)Baa1 from (P)A3
....Multiple Seniority Shelf Jul 28,
2014, Downgraded to (P)Baa2 from (P)Baa1
....Subordinate Regular Bond/Debenture Oct
30, 2025, Downgraded to A3 from A2
....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture
Aug 2, 2022, Downgraded to A2 from A1
....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture
May 1, 2014, Downgraded to A2 from A1
....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture
Aug 23, 2021, Downgraded to A2 from A1
....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture
Nov 4, 2020, Downgraded to A2 from A1
..Issuer: NTC Capital I
....Pref. Stock Preferred Stock Jan
15, 2027, Downgraded to Baa1 (hyb) from A3 (hyb)
..Issuer: NTC Capital II
....Pref. Stock Preferred Stock Apr
15, 2027, Downgraded to Baa1 (hyb) from A3 (hyb)
Outlook Actions:
..Issuer: Northern Trust Company
....Outlook, Changed To Stable From
Rating Under Review
..Issuer: Northern Trust Corporation
....Outlook, Changed To Stable From
Rating Under Review
..Issuer: NTC Capital I
....Outlook, Changed To Stable From
Rating Under Review
..Issuer: NTC Capital II
....Outlook, Changed To Stable From
Rating Under Review
Affirmations:
..Issuer: Northern Trust Company
.... OSO Rating, Affirmed P-1
.... Deposit Rating, Affirmed P-1
....Multiple Seniority Bank Note Program,
Affirmed (P)P-1
..Issuer: Northern Trust Corporation
.... Commercial Paper, Affirmed P-1
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.
Allen H Tischler
Senior Vice President
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Robert Franklyn Young
MD - Financial Institutions
Financial Institutions Group
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Moody's downgrades Northern Trust (senior debt to A2)