NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch Ratings has affirmed Banco Nacional de Panama's (Banconal) Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'BBB'. The Rating Outlook is Stable. A full list of Banconal's ratings follows at the end of this press release.
KEY RATING DRIVERS
Banconal's IDRs and National Ratings are driven by the support of the Panamanian government (rated 'BBB', Stable Outlook by Fitch). In Fitch's view, the Panamanian government has the willingness and capacity to provide timely and sufficient support to Banconal, providing a subsidiary guarantee of all its liabilities, according the bank's inception law. Banconal plays an important role as government's financial agent in charge of the check-clearing and compensation process, payroll and tax collection services, pensions, vendor and services, and government debt payments.
Banconal's Viability Rating (VR) is driven by its ample liquidity, sound capital ratios, stable deposit base and good asset quality, while also factoring in the concentrations on the balance sheet.
Banconal boasts an ample liquidity cushion, the largest of the country, due to its role as treasurer for the government. The liquidity cushion is comprised of $2.8 billion in cash and bank deposits and $1.6 billion in low-risk securities. This reserve provides coverage of 61% of total deposits. This large cushion of liquidity compensates the natural tenure mismatches prevalent in the balance sheet due to its short-term concentrated funding.
Banconal's capital is still sound, providing a good cushion to absorb losses from the main exposures of the bank's balance sheet. However, since 2011 the Fitch Core Capital (FCC) has declined due to low retained earnings ratio, well below the assets growth rate, and in the current year the ratios were constrained due to relevant decreases in the securities portfolio's unrealized gains.
Banconal's funding structure corresponds to the special relationship with the Panamanian government and inception law. Deposits are the bank's exclusive funding source, largely comprised of public sector deposits (79.2% of total deposits). Governmental depositors guarantee low-volatility funding, given that they are not profit-seeking entities and, by internal practices, allocate funds mostly in Panama's public banks.
Banconal's credit quality is good evidenced in the decline in delinquency ratios in the past four years; as of June 2013, the past due loans ratio was 1% (December 2009: 2.1%). Also, loan recoveries have surpassed charge-offs in year-end 2012 (YE12) and second quarter 2013 (2Q'13). The bank's deposits and securities portfolio also show good credit quality, especially deposits with ample diversification.
Concentrations are structurally high at Banconal, due to the large government exposure on both sides of the balance sheet and the corporate lending portfolio suffers from high debtor concentration. However, government concentrations carry some benefits, as those loans bear relatively low risk and deposits are stable and low cost.
RATING SENSITIVITIES
Banconal's IDRs should move in line with those of Panama. The downside potential for the bank's IDRs is considered limited given Panama's sound economic prospects.
Banconal's VR would benefit from improved loan loss reserves and risk management policies, higher revenue diversification from recurrent sources and materialization of benefits from the recently enhanced IT platform. On the other hand, weaker profitability, which would erode the capital/reserve cushion and declining asset quality, would place downward pressure on the VR.
Fitch affirms Banconal's ratings as follows:
--Long-term IDR at 'BBB'; Outlook Stable;
--Short-term IDR at 'F3';
--Viability Rating at 'bb+';
--Support Rating at '2';
--Support Rating Floor at 'BBB'
--National long-term rating at 'AA+(Pan)'; Outlook Stable;
--National short-term rating at 'F1+(Pan)'.
Additional information is available on www.fitchratings.com.
Applicable Criteria and Related Research:
--'Global Financial Institutions Rating Criteria' (Aug. 15, 2012).
Applicable Criteria and Related Research:
Global Financial Institutions Rating Criteria
http://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=686181
Additional Disclosure
Solicitation Status
http://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=808100
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