London, 17 March 2017 -- Moody's Investors Service has upgraded to Baa2 from Baa3 the covered bond
ratings issued by Kommunalkredit Austria AG (Kommunalkredit; the
issuer, not publicly rated). The covered bonds are backed
by a pool of Austrian public sector assets and governed by the Covered
Bond Act.
RATINGS RATIONALE
The decision to upgrade the covered bond ratings is based on two positive
developments, namely (1) a reduction in the currency risk and (2)
a reduction in the credit risk of this covered bond programme.
Unlike most other Austrian covered bond programmes, Kommunalkredit's
programme has a significant currency mismatch as the majority of covered
bonds are denominated in Swiss Francs, while almost all cover pool
assets are denominated in Euros (the exposure is however hedged by Kommunalkredit
with swaps that are not part of the cover pool). This currency
mismatch has been reduced over the course of last year as Swiss Francs
denominated covered bonds have been repaid at their maturity date.
Now 73.5% of the issuer's covered bonds are denominated
in Swiss Francs and we understand from the issuer that he will focus future
funding activities on Euro bonds to further reduce the currency mismatch
in the programme.
Kommunalkredit's programme has further benefitted from the rebound
in the credit strength of the State of Carinthia, now rated A3 with
a positive outlook. We have upgraded State of Carinthia's
ratings to A3 from B1, reflecting a massive reduction in Carinthia's
contingent liabilities as the KAF fund backed by the Austrian government
(Aa1 stable) acquired HETA instruments for which Carinthia is statutorily
liable as deficiency guarantor. For more information, please
refer to the press release "Moody's upgrades State of Carinthia's
ratings to A3; outlook changed to positive" http://www.moodys.com/viewresearchdoc.aspx?docid=PR_356467.
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);
and (2) the stressed losses on the cover pool assets should the issuer
cease making payments under the covered bonds (i.e.,
a CB anchor event).
The CB anchor for this programme is the CR assessment plus 1 notch.
At the request of the issuer, the CR assessment is not published.
The CR assessment reflects an issuer's ability to avoid defaulting
on certain senior bank operating obligations and contractual commitments,
including covered bonds. Moody's may use a CB anchor of CR
assessment plus one notch in the European Union or otherwise where an
operational resolution regime is particularly likely to ensure continuity
of covered bond payments.
The cover pool losses for this programme are 36.0%.
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 32.4% and collateral risk of 3.6%.
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 7.2%.
The over-collateralisation in the cover pool is 17.6%,
of which Kommunalkredit provides 0% on a "committed"
basis. The minimum OC level consistent with the Baa2 rating is
8.5%, of which the issuer should provide 0%
in a "committed" form (numbers in nominal value terms).
These numbers show that Moody's is relying on "uncommitted"
OC in its expected loss analysis.
All numbers in this section are based on Moody's most recent modelling
(based on data, as per 30.12.2016).
The cover pool losses are an estimate of the losses Moody's currently
models following a CB anchor event. Moody's splits cover
pool losses between market risk and collateral risk. 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 is derived from the collateral score, which measures
losses resulting directly from the cover pool assets' credit quality.
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 "Moody's Global Covered Bonds
Monitoring Overview", 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.
For Kommunalkredit's covered bonds, Moody's has assigned a
TPI of Probable-High.
Factors that would lead to an upgrade or downgrade of the ratings:
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. The TPI Leeway is not published for this programme.
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.
RATING METHODOLOGY
The principal methodology used in these ratings is "Moody's
Approach to Rating Covered Bonds" published in December 2016.
Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of this methodology.
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 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 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.
Alexander Zeidler
VP - Senior Credit Officer
Structured Finance 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
Juan Pablo Soriano
MD - Structured Finance
Structured Finance 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