DBRS Serves Up Massive SplitShare Surprise Review

DBRS has announced that it:

has today taken a range of rating actions on 54 structured preferred shares issued by 49 split share companies and trusts (the Issuers). All the trends are now Stable.

Each of the Issuers has invested in a portfolio of securities (the Portfolio) funded by issuing two classes of shares – dividend-yielding preferred shares or securities (the Preferred Shares) and capital shares or units (the Capital Shares). The main form of credit enhancement available to these Preferred Shares is a buffer of downside protection. Downside protection corresponds to the percentage decline in market value of the Portfolio that must be experienced before the Preferred Shares would be in a loss position. The amount of downside protection available to Preferred Shares will fluctuate over time based on changes in the market value of the Portfolio.

Of the 54 structured Preferred Share ratings updated today by DBRS, 32 have been upgraded, 18 have been confirmed and four have been downgraded. The majority of the ratings have been upgraded as a result of the strong gains in global equity markets over the past five months. In the first quarter of 2009, DBRS downgraded many of its Preferred Share ratings because of rapid and substantial declines in company net asset values (NAVs). From August 31, 2008, to March 9, 2009, the S&P/TSX Composite Index lost 45% of its value. Since March 9, the index has gained back more than half of those losses. As a result, many of the Preferred Shares that were downgraded in February or March have seen significant increases in NAV and are now being upgraded.

In addition to the recent rebound in equity markets, another factor in today’s rating changes is the release of an updated DBRS split share methodology, “Rating Canadian Split Share Companies and Trusts,” which details DBRS’s approach to rating Preferred Shares issued by split share companies and trusts. DRBS has applied a number of changes to strengthen its split share rating process,

DBRS Review Announced 2009-8-27
Ticker Old
Rating
Asset
Coverage
Last
PrefBlog
Post
HIMIPref™
Index
New
Rating
CGI.PR.B Pfd-1 3.4-:1
8/27
Capital Unit Dividend In Doubt SplitShare Pfd-1(low)
CGI.PR.C Pfd-1 3.4-:1
8/27
Capital Unit Dividend In Doubt Scraps Pfd-1(low)
BIG.PR.B Pfd-2 3.4-:1
8/20
Offering Closes None Pfd-2(high)
CBU.PR.A Pfd-2(low) 3.4+:1
8/26
Completes investment of issue proceeds None Pfd-2
DFN.PR.A Pfd-3 2.0-:1
8/14
Semi-Annual Financials Scraps Pfd-3(high)
UST.PR.A Pfd-2(low) 1.8+:1
8/26
Renews Issuer Bid None Pfd-3(high)
LFE.PR.A Pfd-4 1.6+:1
8/14
Semi-annual Financials Scraps Pfd-3(low)
FBS.PR.B Pfd-4 1.6-:1
8/20
Capital Unit Dividend Reinstated Scraps Pfd-3
ASC.PR.A Pfd-5(low) 1.1-:1
8/21
Downgraded Scraps Pfd-5
ALB.PR.A Pfd-4 N/A Downgraded Scraps Pfd-3
BSD.PR.A Pfd-5 1.0+:1
8/21
Downgraded Scraps Pfd-5
Trend
Stable
DF.PR.A Pfd-3(low) 1.7-:1
8/14
Semi-Annual Financials Scraps Pfd-3
DGS.PR.A Pfd-3(low) 1.7+:1
8/20
Downgraded None Pfd-3
ES.PR.B Pfd-5 N/A Downgraded None Pfd-4(low)
FCS.PR.A Pfd-4 1.4+:1
8/26
Downgraded None Pfd-3(low)
GFV.PR.A Pfd-3 1.6+:1
8/20
Downgraded None Pfd-3(high)
HPF.PR.A Pfd-2(low) Their Numbers Note Calculation Dispute Downgraded Scraps Pfd-2(low)
Stable
HPF.PR.B Pfd-5(low) Their Numbers Note Calculation Dispute Downgraded Scraps Pfd-5(low)
Trend
Stable
FIG.PR.A Pfd-5 In
Transition
Capital Units Rights Offering Scraps Pfd-4
PIC.PR.A Pfd-5 1.3-:1
8/20
Downgraded Scraps Pfd-4
NBF.PR.A Pfd-4(low) 1.4+:1
8/26
Capital Unit Dividend Reinstated None Pfd-3
SLS.PR.A Pfd-5(low) N/A Downgraded None Pfd-4
SNP.PR.V Pfd-4(high) N/A Downgraded None Pfd-3(low)
YLD.PR.A Pfd-5(low) 0.5+:1
1/30
Downgraded Scraps Pfd-5
TXT.PR.A Pfd-4(low) 1.3+:1
8/20
Downgraded None Pfd-4(high)
WFS.PR.A Pfd-4(low) 1.3+:1
8/20
Downgraded Scraps Pfd-4
ABK.PR.B Pfd-3 N/A Miniscule Call for Redemption None Pfd-3(high)
TDS.PR.B Pfd-3 2.3-:1
8/20
Downgraded Scraps Pfd-3(high)
FTN.PR.A Pfd-4 1.8+:1
8/14
Semi-Annual Financials Scraps Pfd-3(low)
FFN.PR.A Pfd-5(high) 1.6-:1
8/14
Semi-Annual Financials Scraps Pfd-4(high)
BXN.PR.B Pfd-3(high) N/A Downgraded None Pfd-3
BK.PR.A Pfd-3 2.0+:1
8/14
Semi-Annual Financials Scraps Pfd-3(high)
BSC.PR.A Pfd-3 N/A Dividend Policy Revised None Pfd-3(high)
SBC.PR.A Pfd-3 2.0+:1
8/20
Capital Unit Dividend Suspended Scraps Pfd-3(high)
PDV.PR.A Pfd-3 1.8-:1
8/14
Downgraded None Pfd-3(high)
BBO.PR.A Pfd-3(high) 2.1+:1
8/20
Downgraded None Pfd-2(low)
LBS.PR.A Pfd-3(low) 1.8+:1
8/20
Downgraded Scraps Pfd-3
RBS.PR.A N/A Dividend Policy Revised None Pfd-3
LCS.PR.A Pfd-4 1.5-:1
8/20
Downgraded None Pfd-3(low)

22 Responses to “DBRS Serves Up Massive SplitShare Surprise Review”

  1. cowboylutrell says:

    LCS.PR.A, with an asset coverage of 1.46:1 as of August 20, gets the same Pfd-3 (low) rating as FTN.PR.A, which had an asset coverage of 1.81:1 as of August 14. This is a significant difference in asset coverage. And on top of that, FTN.PR.A’s underlying portfolio is more diversified than LCS.PR.A’s.

    I don’t get it.

  2. jiHymas says:

    LCS.PR.A had income coverage of 0.8+:1 in 2008 and has roughly 25% exposure to the recently cut MFC.

    FTN.PR.A had income coverage of 1.2+:1 in 1H09 and less exposure to MFC.

    So that’s not it.

    FTN is scheduled to wind up 2015-12-1; LCS on 2014-4-30. Maybe it’s the time-dependence of the VaR!

    Seems a little peculiar to me, too!

  3. […] was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was upgraded by DBRS to Pfd-4. FIG.PR.A is tracked by HIMIPref™, but has been relegated to the “Scraps” index […]

  4. […] BSD.PR.A was last mentioned on PrefBlog when its Credit Trend was revised to “Stable” by DBRS. […]

  5. […] was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was upgraded to Pfd-4(low) by DBRS. They closed today at 17.61-00, 15×2, so the redemption price is a small bonus to holders who […]

  6. […] was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was upgraded to Pfd-3(high) by DBRS. BSC.PR.A is not tracked by […]

  7. […] was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was upgraded to Pfd-4(high) by DBRS. In the first half of 2009, its income coverage was 1.0+:1. The Capital Unit divided was suspended […]

  8. […] was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was upgraded to Pfd-3(high) by DBRS. DFN.PR.A is tracked by HIMIPref™ but has been relegated to the Scraps index on credit […]

  9. […] was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was upgraded to Pfd-3(high) by DBRS. TDS.PR.B is tracked by HIMIPref™ but is relegated to the “Scraps” subindex on […]

  10. […] was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was upgraded to Pfd-5 by DBRS. ASC.PR.A is tracked by HIMIPref™ but is relegated to the Scraps subindex on credit […]

  11. […] was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was upgraded to Pfd-3 by DBRS. FBS.PR.B is tracked by HIMIPref™, but is relegated to the “Scraps” subindex on […]

  12. […] was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was upgraded to Pfd-3 by DBRS. NBF.PR.A is not tracked by […]

  13. […] and HPF.PR.B were last mentioned on PrefBlog when their ratings were confirmed by DBRS. HPF.PR.A and HPF.PR.B are tracked by HIMIPref™, but are relegated to the Scraps index on […]

  14. […] correct, some NAVs have actually declined over the period – at least, according the NAVs given in my August report of their review and the current NAVs. Of course, reporting-time is not the same thing as rating-time, so it could […]

  15. […] was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was upgraded to Pfd-3(low) by DBRS. LFE.PR.A is tracked by HIMIPref™ but is relegated to the Scraps index on credit […]

  16. […] was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was upgraded to Pfd-3 by DBRS. It is not tracked by HIMIPref™ as it is too small an issue to trade efficiently (slightly […]

  17. […] was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was downgraded to Pfd-3 by DBRS. BXN.PR.B is not tracked by […]

  18. […] was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was downgraded to Pfd-3 by DBRS. LBS.PR.A is tracked by HIMIPref™, but is relegated to the Scraps index on credit […]

  19. […] is scheduled to mature 2012-5-31. RBS.PR.A was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was upgraded to Pfd-3 by DBRS. RBS.PR.A is not tracked by […]

  20. […] was last mentioned on PrefBlog in August 2009. PDV.PR.A is not tracked by HIMIPref™ – the issue size is simply too […]

  21. […] that the issue is rated Pfd-2 by DBRS, because BBO.PR.A was last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was upgraded to Pfd-2(low). Did I miss something? Nope – it is still rated Pfd-2(low) and was confirmed at that level […]

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