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| [January 10, 2013] |
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Fitch Downgrades Nassau County Tobacco Settlement Corp. (New York), Series 2006
NEW YORK --(Business Wire)--
Fitch Ratings downgrades seven classes from Nassau County Tobacco
Settlement Corporation (New York), tobacco settlement asset-backed
bonds, series 2006. A full list of rating actions follows at the end of
this release.
For 2012, the aggregate MSA payment was 1.97% higher than the amount in
2011. Fitch published updated Tobacco Settlement ABS (News - Alert) Criteria on July
16, 2012, which included a change in the base case assumption for the
MSA payment from +1% to 0%. The rating scale was recalibrated to reflect
this change, and as a result there were several downgrades.
The turbo and capital appreciation bonds were put on Rating Watch
Negative in July 2012 with the expectation that the change in the base
case assumption could lead to downgrades. Buckeye Tobacco Settlement
Financing Authority, 2007 (Ohio), along with Golden State Tobacco
Securitization Corporation, UNITED STATES Series 2007-1 and Nassau
County Tobacco Settlement Corporation, Tobacco Settlement Asset-Backed
Bonds, Series 2006, were not reviewed with the other ABS tobacco
settlement bonds in August 2012 because the reserve accounts of these
transactions were below the minimum required levels and required
additional analysis which was completed for this review.
Fitch uses its breakeven model to analyze tobacco performance. The
breakeven model assesses how much the MSA payment received by the trust
could decline for each bond to pay at the legal final maturity date. The
amount of the latest MSA payment that the transaction has received, the
capital structure, the reserve account, and the bond's legal final dates
are the key inputs to the model.
Since the life of these transactions is typically long and the cash
flows can be unpredictable, qualitative adjustments may be taken to
avoid rating volatility by requiring two years of consecutive model
outputs in order to downgrade to the model implied output. However, if
more than one notch difference exists between the current rating and the
model implied rating, the bond will be downgraded to one notch above the
model output. Tobacco ratings are capped at 'BBB+sf', based on Fitch's
opinion of the strength of the tobacco industry. All onds with model
outputs 'bbb+' and below are on Outlook Negative to address concern over
a future deterioration in cash flows.
Fitch downgrades the following ratings:
--$42,645,000 series 2006A-1 taxable senior current interest bonds due
June 1, 2021 downgraded to 'BB+sf' from 'BBBsf'; removed from Negative
Watch and assigned a Negative Outlook;
--$37,905,609 series 2006A-2 senior convertible bonds due June 1, 2026
downgraded to 'Bsf' from 'BB+'; removed from Negative Watch and assigned
a Negative Outlook;
--$97,005,000 series 2006A-3 senior current interest bonds due June 1,
2035 downgraded to 'Bsf' from 'BB+sf'; removed from Negative Watch and
assigned a Negative Outlook;
--$194,535,000 series 2006A-3 senior current interest bonds due June 1,
2046 downgraded to 'Bsf' from 'BB+sf'; removed from Negative Watch and
assigned a Negative Outlook;
--$10,670,013 series 2006B first subordinate capital appreciation bonds
due June 1, 2046 downgraded to 'B-sf' from 'BB-sf'; removed from
Negative Watch and assigned a Negative Outlook;
--$9,867,332 series 2006C second subordinate capital appreciation bonds
due June 1, 2046 downgraded to 'B-sf' from 'B+sf', removed from Negative
Watch and assigned a Negative Outlook;
--$37,604,290 series 2006D third subordinate capital appreciation bonds
due June 1, 2060 downgraded to 'B-sf' from 'B+sf'; removed from Negative
Watch and assigned a Negative Outlook.
Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'.
The ratings above were solicited by, or on behalf of, the issuer, and
therefore, Fitch has been compensated for the provision of the ratings.
Applicable Criteria and Related Research:
--'U.S. Tobacco Settlement ABS Criteria' (July 16, 2012);
--'Global Structured Finance Rating Criteria'(June 6, 2012).
Applicable Criteria and Related Research:
U.S. Tobacco Settlement ABS Criteria
http://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm rpt_id=682015
Global Structured Finance Rating Criteria
http://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm rpt_id=679923
ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND
DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING
THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS.
IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE
AVAILABLE ON (News - Alert) THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'.
PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS
SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS
OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES
AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF
THIS SITE.

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