Action anticipates introduction of full depositor preference in Italy from 2019 and concludes review
London, 25 January 2016 -- Moody's Investors Service has today upgraded the deposit ratings of 16
Italian banks by one notch, of two banks by two notches, downgraded
the senior unsecured debt/issuer ratings of five banks by one notch and
affirmed the senior unsecured/issuer ratings of two banks. One
bank's deposit rating remains on review for upgrade. The
outlooks on the ratings are mostly stable.
Please click on the following link to access the List of Affected Credit
Ratings. This list is an integral part of this Press Release and
identifies each affected issuer: http://www.moodys.com/viewresearchdoc.aspx?docid=PBC_187142
The rating action reflects the final approval by the Italian Government
of a new hierarchy of claims for bank resolution in Italy that will apply
from January 1, 2019 onwards, establishing full depositor
preference over senior unsecured debt instruments.
Moody's has reflected the final approval by amending the capital structure
used in its Advanced Loss Given Failure (LGF) analysis, in accordance
with full depositor preference. Previously, Moody's
"de jure" scenario reflected the pari passu ranking of deposits
and senior debt.
Moody's rating action concludes its reviews initiated on October
29, 2015.
RATINGS RATIONALE
RATIONALE FOR THE DOWNGRADE OF DEBT AND UPGRADE OF DEPOSIT RATINGS
The action follows the final approval by the Italian Government of two
Decrees -- Legislative Decrees No. 180 and No.
181 of November 16, 2015 -- which transpose the European
BRRD into the Italian legal framework.
The Italian government will modify the priority of claims laid out in
the Italian insolvency law by giving preference to all bank deposits --
including "junior" corporate and institutional deposits --
over senior unsecured creditors. The new hierarchy of claims will
be enforced from 2019 onwards, in insolvency and, by extension,
in resolution.
Moody's is reflecting the effect of the new legislation in advance of
the adoption of the new hierarchy in 2019. This is because it believes
that the authorities' clear intention to provide more protection to depositors
than to senior creditors could have a bearing on decisions taken around
resolution in the meantime.
As a result, Moody's has upgraded the deposit ratings of 18
banks. The new hierarchy of claims will increase the protection
benefiting junior deposits as they no longer rank pari passu with senior
unsecured liabilities, thereby reducing expected loss-given-failure.
By the same token, the volume of loss-absorbing senior unsecured
liabilities will be reduced. The loss rates for senior creditors
in the event of failure will therefore increase, other things being
equal. In some cases, this increased loss-given-failure
is sufficiently large to result in a lower rating. Moody's
has therefore downgraded the senior unsecured debt/issuer ratings of five
banks. Other ratings are not affected by the new legislation.
Moody's LGF analysis, according to its banking methodology of January
2016, assesses the impact of a bank's failure on the expected loss
of each creditor class in response to different forms of resolution legal
frameworks, firm-wide loss rates and liability structures,
and based on analytical assumptions.
RATIONALE FOR THE OUTLOOKS
In most cases, Moody's has assigned the same outlook that
was in place before the review, most of which were stable.
In the following four cases, Moody's has revised the outlook,
reflecting sensitivity of the rating to a small change to the liability
structure:
LT Senior Unsecured/Issuer ratings
Banca Carige S.p.A. - developing
Banca Popolare di Milano S.C.A r.l. --
negative
Cassa Centrale Raiffeisen dell'Alto Adige -- negative
LT Deposit ratings
Banca Sella Holding - negative
WHAT COULD CHANGE THE RATINGS UP/DOWN
Moody's could upgrade the Baseline Credit Assessments (BCAs) of
the banks included in this rating action as a result of a stronger financial
profile -- for example, a reduction in non-performing
loans, or stronger capitalisation. Higher BCAs or changes
in the liability structures, with increased volumes or subordination
of liabilities, could result in higher debt and deposit ratings.
Conversely, Moody's could downgrade the BCAs if there were
a failure to stabilise asset risk and improve capital and profitability.
Downgrades of BCAs could result in downgrades of debt and deposit ratings.
Moody's could also downgrade debt and deposit ratings because of
a lower cushion of senior debt, for example owing to the redemption
of bonds held by retail investors, or if there were a change in
the legal hierarchy which increased the risk to these instruments.
PRINCIPAL METHODOLOGY
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Banks published in
January 2016. 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.
Moody's considers a rated entity or its agent(s) to be participating
when it maintains an overall relationship with Moody's. On
this basis Credito Valtellinese or their agents are considered to be participating
entities. These rated entities or their agents generally provide
Moody's with information for their ratings process.
The relevant office for each credit rating is identified in "Debt/deal
box" on the Ratings tab in the Debt/Deal List section of each issuer/entity
page of the Website.
The below contact information is provided for information purposes only.
Please see the ratings tab of the issuer page at www.moodys.com,
for each of the ratings covered, Moody's disclosures on the
lead analyst and the Moody's legal entity that has issued the ratings.
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.
Carlo Gori
Vice President - Senior Analyst
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Investors Service Ltd.
One Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London E14 5FA
United Kingdom
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
Nicholas Hill
Managing Director
Financial Institutions Group
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service Ltd.
One Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London E14 5FA
United Kingdom
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
Moody's upgrades Italian banks' deposit ratings and downgrades debt/issuer ratings