CL
T CLO Series 1
Analysts:
Jerry Fang, Taipei
Clementine Kiang, Taipei
Diane Lam,
CFA, Hong Kong
This report does not constitute a recommendation
to buy, hold, or sell securities.
Rating Details
New Ratings
Class
|
Rating
|
Amount
(NT$ mil.)
|
Interest Rate
|
Credit Support (%)
|
Senior
Certificates
|
twAA
|
5,808
|
2.0%
|
34.00
|
M-1
Certificates
|
twA
|
704
|
2.3%
|
26.00
|
M-2
Certificates
|
twBBB
|
660
|
2.6%
|
18.50
|
M-3
Certificates
|
twBBB-
|
66
|
2.8%
|
17.75
|
Profile
Issuer: CL T CLO Series
1
Closing Date: Sept. 29th, 2003
Final Legal Maturity Date: Sept. 29th, 2009
Originator/Servicer: Credit Lyonnais, Taipei Branch
Trustee/Backup Servicer: Grand Commercial Bank
Account Bank: Credit Lyonnais, Taipei Branch
Arranger: Credit Lyonnais, Taipei Branch
Rationale
The four tranches of certificates issued
by CL T CLO Series 1 (SPT) are backed by a portfolio of 17 Taiwan dollar
denominated corporate bank loans originated by Credit Lyonnais, Taipei
Branch, especially for this transaction. This is second collateralized
loan obligation (CLO) in Taiwan, and the first primary CLO and public
offering of any securitization in Taiwan.
The ratings address the full and timely payment
of interest and full repayment of principal on or before the final legal
maturity date in 2009. The final ratings were assigned on the closing
date after a satisfactory review of all documents, as well as legal, tax
opinions and tax rulings.
The credit ratings assigned to the classes
of fixed rate certificates issued by SPT reflect:
- The credit quality of the portfolio;
- The level of credit support for the different
classes of certificate provided by subordinated certificates and equity;
- The establishment of a liquidity reserve;
- Sufficient cash flow to meet timely payment
of interest and ultimate repayment of principal by the Final Legal Maturity
Date for each class of certificate holders under various stress scenarios;
- The experience of the servicer in managing
and collecting corporate loans in Taiwan;
- The ratings of the supporting parties
such as bank account providers; and
- The bankruptcy remoteness of the issuer.
Strengths, Concerns and Mitigating Factors:
Strengths:
- The transaction structure eliminates basis
risk and commingling risk since the interest rate on the loans and on
the certificates are fixed rates, and the borrowers are directed to
remit to the SPT bank account directly;
- Each loan will have a blank promissory
note from the borrower;
- The transaction's sequential payment structure
ensures that the most senior rated certificates will be repaid in full
before any monies may be used to reduce the junior classes of certificates;
- In stressing the cashflows, no recoveries
have been assumed on any defaulted loans, but should there be recoveries,
these additional monies will be used to pay the certificate holders;
- Although the last maturing loan matures
in five years, the final legal maturity of the certificates is in six
years providing a tail period of 12 months;
- A liquidity reserve and is replenished
from excess cash flows; and
- Non-amortizing credit support results
in increasing amounts of credit support as the more senior tranches
pay down.
Concerns:
- Small portfolio of obligors results in
less diversification and in particular, the airline industry and automotive
industry account for 11% and 9% exposure by dollar value;
- The loans pay interest annually and the
principal is repaid as a bullet either three or five years from closing
Mitigating Factors:
- Standard & Poor's CDO Evaluator assesses
the probability of default on individual loan basis based on each loan's
characteristic (i.e. size of the exposure, the industry and the correlations
of the industry).
- The cash flow testing sequences ensures
that even with expected lumpy cash flows and assumed loan defaults,
the certificates can be repaid. The servicer will implement procedures
to ensure monies are collected in a timely manner.
Originator/Servicer/Back-Up Servicer
Credit Lyonnais, Taipei
Branch, holds a banking license in Taiwan and is a commercial lender to
corporates in Taiwan. The Taipei branch has been operational for nearly
20 years. On June 4th, 2003, Standard & Poor's Ratings
Services upgraded its ratings on Credit Lyonnais to AA-/stable/A-1+.
The back-up servicer, Grand Commercial Bank
(GCB; rated twBBB/Positive /twA-3 by Taiwan Ratings Corp. and BB/Positive/B
by Standard & Poor's as of July 10, 2002). GCB is licensed as a commercial
bank in accordance with the Banking Law of Taiwan. TRC and Standard &
Poor's affirmed their long-term and short-term counterparty credit ratings
on GCB, but revised the outlook to positive from negative in July 2003,
following an announcement by Chinatrust Financial Holding Co. that it
plans to acquire GCB for about NT$19.9 billion. The revision of the outlook
on the long-term rating on GCB reflects the likelihood that GCB's financial
profile will improve as a result of its proposed incorporation into Chinatrust
Commercial Bank, the CTFHC subsidiary.
Transaction Overview
This transaction is a bank loan primary CLO
arranged by Credit Lyonnais. The Taiwan dollar denominated unsecured loans
will be extended to 17 Taiwan corporates in different industries. At closing,
Credit Lyonnais entrusted this loan portfolio to SPT according to the
Financial Asset Securitization Law. SPT was recently created and GCB is
the trustee. The trustee issued four tranches of rated certificates ¡V
Senior [twAA], M-1 [twA], M-2 [twBBB] and M-3 [twBBB-]. The residual beneficiary
is unrated. The residual beneficiary certificates would be the first loss
in this transaction if losses are incurred.
The credit support for the differing tranches
is derived from the estimated probable default from the obligors and the
sufficiency of the cash flows from the obligors to repay timely interest
and principal to the certificates by no later than the final legal maturity.
Unless previously redeemed by the trustee,
the certificates will be repaid by no later than the final legal maturity
date of Sep. 29th, 2009, 12 months after the last loan to mature
in the portfolio matures. The final legal maturity provides a tail period
of [12] months to ensure that any back ended losses on the portfolio can
be liquidated, and the recovery proceeds from such types of defaulted
loans may be available to repay the certificates.
The portfolio is initially being serviced
by Credit Lyonnais and the trustee is the back-up servicer, GCB.
The Loan Portfolio
The collateral consists
of a portfolio of loans to 17 Taiwan corporates, for an aggregate amount
of NT$8.8 billion.
The loans are fully drawn down at closing.
Each loan is an unsecured senior obligation of the respective borrower.
The loan size ranges from NT$300 million to NT$1 billion. Each loan is
a bullet loan, with maturities ranging from three years or five years.
Interest on the loans is paid annually.
Concentration
of Obligors by Industry
|
Industry Classification
|
Pool %
(based on amount outstanding)
|
Air transport
|
11.36%
|
Automotive
|
9.09%
|
Radio & Television
|
5.68%
|
Building & Development
|
5.68%
|
Chemicals & plastics
|
5.68%
|
Electronics/electrical
|
5.68%
|
Equipment leasing
|
5.68%
|
Leisure goods/activities/movies
|
5.68%
|
Nonferrous metals/minerals
|
5.68%
|
Retailers (except food
& drug)
|
5.68%
|
Steel
|
5.68%
|
Surface transport
|
5.68%
|
Telecommunications
|
5.68%
|
*Computer storage and
peripherals
|
5.68%
|
*Computer-discs recordable
|
5.68%
|
**Networking equipment
|
5.68%
|
*These industries are sub-divisions
within Standard & Poor's global industry classification "electronics/electrical¡¨
based on consultation and feedback with corporate analysts in Taiwan.
**This industry is a sub-division within
Standard & Poor's global industry classification ¡§Telecommunications¡¨
based on consultation and feedback with corporate analysts in Taiwan.
|
Credit and Cashflow Analysis
Since most of the obligors do not
have published ratings, Taiwan Ratings performed credit assessments on
all of the unrated obligors to determine their credit quality. The expected
default at different rating categories was determined using Standard &
Poor's CDO Evaluator. Using Monte-Carlo methodology, the CDO Evaluator
factors the probability of individual loan default, obligor concentration
and industry correlations and computes the expected level of default that
a CDO tranche would be able to withstand at a given rating level.
To verify that full and timely payment of
interest and ultimate repayment of principal on the senior certificates
can be met, Taiwan Ratings performed a cash flow analysis and subjected
the transaction to a variety of stress scenarios.
Structural Analysis
Interest Rate
Risk/Basis Risk.
There is no interest
rate risk in this deal, because the loans are fixed rate loans. The certificates
are also paid at a fixed rate.
Prepayment Risk.
According to the terms
of the loans, the borrowers are not given the option to prepay. However,
should a loan be prepaid as a result of a breach of covenant, it could
result in negative carry for the transaction because the proceeds when
invested in cash or cash like instruments may not earn sufficient returns
to meet the issuer's liabilities. In the event of prepayment, the prepayment
amounts will be released to certificate holders within 3 days from the
date of receipt of such monies.
Commingling Risk.
There is no commingling risk in
this transaction since the borrowers are required to remit directly to
SPT's account.
Set-off Risk.
As Credit Lyonnais is
a deposit taking institution, many of the obligors are likely to have
deposits with Credit Lyonnais, creating a setoff risk against their relevant
bank loans. Each of the loan documents contains an explicit waiver by
the borrowers of their setoff right. A legal opinion will confirm that
such contractual waiver of rights is legal, binding and enforceable, and
borrowers may not exercise setoff rights.
Servicer Transition
Risk.
Servicer transition
risk will be sized to meet liquidity needs of the transaction. Additionally,
to cover incidental expenses, the cash flows simulations assume additional
extraordinary expenses are expended in each period. The servicer may not
resign within 90 days prior to any payment date. This is to reduce further
disruptions on the transaction, given the nature of the concentrated repayment
profile. Additionally, in the event of a servicer termination, the trustee
will act as the back-up servicer.
Legal and Tax Analysis
The transaction is structured
in accordance with the Financial Asset Securitization Law of Taiwan. Article
26 of the Financial Asset Securitization Law stipulates that if a resolution
of a beneficiaries meeting impairs the rights of a certain class of beneficiaries,
the resolution must be endorsed by a meeting of the class of beneficiaries
affected by the resolution. Restrictions on holders of senior certificates
or limitations on their flexibility may result in adverse consequences
in the event of an enforcement event. However, in August 2003, the Enforcement
Rule became effective. The Enforcement Rule states that the rights of
the beneficiaries of a certain class referred to in Article 26 of the
Financial Asset Securitization Law are limited to the rights which such
beneficiaries are entitled to and are clearly outlined in the special
purpose trust agreement. The trust agreement of this transaction already
anticipates that if the applicable laws are amended, then the classes
of creditors will be treated in accordance with the amended law. Consequently,
the possible adverse consequence in the event of an enforcement event
has been eliminated from this transaction. The law requires the trustee
to withhold 6% on amounts paid to certificate holders for tax purposes.
Therefore, unless a specific ruling is obtained, certificate holders will
receive their coupon, net of the required taxes.
Prior to assigning the final
ratings and the closing of the transaction, Taiwan Ratings Corporation
received satisfactory legal, tax opinions and tax rulings.
|