New York, September 30, 2014 -- Moody's Investors Service has changed the rating outlook of Regions Financial
Corporation and its subsidiaries, including its lead bank,
Regions Bank, to positive from stable. Moody's also
affirmed its ratings on Regions. Regions Financial Corporation
is rated Ba1 for senior debt and Not-Prime for short-term
obligations. Regions Bank has long- and short-term
bank deposit ratings of Baa3 and Prime-3, respectively,
and a standalone bank financial strength rating of D+, mapping
to a standalone baseline credit assessment of baa3.
Affirmations:
..Issuer: AmSouth Bancorporation
....Subordinate Regular Bond/Debenture,
Affirmed Ba2/POS
..Issuer: AmSouth Bank
....Subordinate Regular Bond/Debenture,
Affirmed Ba1/POS
..Issuer: Regions Bank
.... Adjusted Baseline Credit Assessment,
Maintained baa3
.... Baseline Credit Assessment, Maintained
baa3
.... Bank Financial Strength Rating,
Affirmed D+/POS
.... Issuer Rating, Affirmed Baa3/POS
....OSO Senior Unsecured OSO Rating,
Affirmed Baa3/POS
.... ST OSO Rating, Affirmed P-3
....Senior Unsecured Deposit Rating,
Affirmed Baa3/POS
.... ST Deposit Rating, Affirmed P-3
....Subordinate Regular Bond/Debenture,
Affirmed Ba1/POS
..Issuer: Regions Financial Corporation
.... LT Issuer Rating, Affirmed Ba1/POS
.... ST Issuer Rating, Affirmed NP
....Pref. Stock Non-cumulative
Shelf, Affirmed (P)B1
....Pref. Stock Shelf, Affirmed
(P)Ba3
....Junior Subordinate Shelf, Affirmed
(P)Ba3
....Subordinate Shelf, Affirmed (P)Ba2
....Senior Unsecured Shelf, Affirmed
(P)Ba1
....Pref. Stock Non-cumulative
Preferred Stock, Affirmed B1 (hyb)/POS
....Subordinate Regular Bond/Debenture,
Affirmed Ba2/POS
....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture,
Affirmed Ba1/POS
..Issuer: Regions Financing Trust IV
....Pref. Stock Shelf, Affirmed
(P)Ba3
..Issuer: Regions Financing Trust V
....Pref. Stock Shelf, Affirmed
(P)Ba3
..Issuer: Regions Financing Trust VI
....Pref. Stock Shelf, Affirmed
(P)Ba3
..Issuer: Union Planters Bank, National Association
....Subordinate Regular Bond/Debenture,
Affirmed Ba1/POS
..Issuer: Union Planters Preferred Funding Corp.
....Pref. Stock Non-cumulative
Preferred Stock, Affirmed Ba3 (hyb)/POS
Outlook Actions:
..Issuer: AmSouth Bancorporation
....Outlook, Changed To Positive From
Stable
..Issuer: AmSouth Bank
....Outlook, Changed To Positive From
Stable
..Issuer: Regions Bank
....Outlook, Changed To Positive From
Stable
..Issuer: Regions Financial Corporation
....Outlook, Changed To Positive From
Stable
..Issuer: Regions Financing Trust IV
....Outlook, Changed To Positive From
Stable
..Issuer: Regions Financing Trust V
....Outlook, Changed To Positive From
Stable
..Issuer: Regions Financing Trust VI
....Outlook, Changed To Positive From
Stable
..Issuer: Union Planters Bank, National Association
....Outlook, Changed To Positive From
Stable
..Issuer: Union Planters Preferred Funding Corp.
....Outlook, Changed To Positive From
Stable
RATINGS RATIONALE
The change in outlook to positive from stable is based on Moody's
view that Regions has continued to improve its asset quality and that
management is developing better discipline in avoiding asset concentrations,
which in the financial crisis weakened the company's financial profile
materially. Moody's said that Regions' capital position
has also continued to strengthen.
Regions has achieved a significant reduction in nonperforming assets (NPAs,
nonaccrual loans, OREOs, loans past due 90+ days,
and accruing TDRs). Its NPAs have declined 51% from $5.5
billion in third quarter 2012 to $2.7 billion in second
quarter 2014. Relative to loans and OREO, its NPA ratio improved
from 7.2% to 3.3% over the same period.
Although the bank's NPAs remain relatively elevated, it is
not an outlier among its same-rated peers.
Moreover, Regions' higher capital base, coupled with
lower commercial real estate (CRE) and home equity (HE) loan balances,
have reduced the bank's asset concentrations. Its tangible
common equity (TCE) rose 23% while its combined exposure to CRE
and HE declined 18% from Q3 2012 to Q2 2014. Consequently,
its total concentration to these assets declined from 2.2 times
TCE to 1.5 times TCE, which is relatively low among major
US regional banks.
A revamped management team has overseen these improvements and implemented
more sensitive concentration risk limits. However, Moody's
noted that Regions' concentration risk management will be tested
because of earnings pressures that have made it difficult for the company
to generate a return on equity greater than its cost of equity.
For example, in an effort to support earnings, Regions'
has grown its commercial and industrial (C&I) loans at an above average
rate relative to the economy and other US banks in the first six months
of 2014. This C&I loan growth has been significantly driven
by Regions' participation in the national syndicated loan markets,
where it takes participations in other banks' transactions.
These loans typically provide little franchise enhancement for participants
like Regions, and can be a source of higher risk. With that
said, Moody's noted that Regions' C&I loan asset
quality performed relatively well in the financial crisis.
Having actively managed down troubled asset portfolios and historic risk
concentrations, Regions' management has turned its attention
to growth and providing shareholders with adequate returns. If
Regions' risk management maintains discipline in avoiding asset
or risk concentrations, the bank's ratings could be upgraded.
Key indicators in this regard include concentration data as well as loan
growth relative to Regions' market opportunity. Conversely,
the most likely source of negative rating pressure would be a rising concern
that risk management is not effective in containing a rebuilding of asset
concentrations and that underwriting standards have deteriorated in the
pursuit of earnings growth. A significant increase in the bank's
return of capital to shareholders would also be viewed negatively,
said Moody's.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Global Banks published
in July 2014. Please see the Credit Policy page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of this methodology.
REGUALTORY DISLCOSURES
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.
Thuy Nguyen
Asst Vice President - Analyst
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 places positive outlook on Regions (senior Ba1); affirms ratings