Music investment company Hipgnosis Song Management is set to issue an ABS tied to royalties on 980 songs. The deal received a slightly lower rating than similar ABS from other firms.
Moody’s proposed establishing ESG “issuer profile scores” and “credit impact scores” for structured finance transactions rated by the firm. DBRS, too, has released its approach to ESG risk factors in credit ratings.
Aviation ABS tied to Russia and Ukraine hit with downgrades; Pennsylvania’s private student loans deals from 2020 and 2021 upgraded; KBRA adds Opportunity Zone identifier to commercial MBS tracking; credit card ABS performance expected to decline.
The rating service’s proposal to notch ratings assigned by rival firms when assessing insurers didn’t sit well with the Justice Department, members of Congress and industry participants.
S&P has proposed revisions to its criteria for judging the adequacy of risk-based capital when assessing insurers. The revision would prompt higher capital requirements for certain MBS and ABS held by insurers.
Only 4% of MBS and ABS assessed by Fitch received a positive rating impact from ESG factors. Meanwhile, S&P is set to expand its assessments in the ESG space.
Momentum for aircraft securitizations won’t come until late 2022, according to Fitch. Sanctions on Russia and damage to planes in Ukraine could sink certain deals.
When looking at activity by rating services in 2020, the SEC found problems involving ABS and CLOs, among other issues. The regulator as usual didn’t identify the offenders.
Four firms are currently offering whole-business ABS. Two of the deals received ratings from both KBRA and S&P, though the rating services differed in their assessments.