TMCnet News

Fitch Rates The Allstate Corporation's Senior Unsecured Notes 'BBB+'
[December 05, 2016]

Fitch Rates The Allstate Corporation's Senior Unsecured Notes 'BBB+'


Fitch Ratings has assigned a 'BBB+' rating to The Allstate Corporation's (Allstate) new $550 million 3.28% senior notes due 2026 and $700 million 4.20% senior notes due 2046; the issuance is anticipated to close on Dec. 8, 2016.

KEY RATING DRIVERS

The ratings for the new offerings are equivalent to the rating on Allstate's existing senior debt. Proceeds from the issuance will be used for general corporate purposes, including in part to fund its recently announced, approximately $1.4 billion acquisition of consumer protection plan provider, SquareTrade Holding Company, Inc. Fitch expects pro forma financial leverage following the senior note issuance to increase to 24.8% from 20.9% at Sept. 30, 2016.

Fitch last reviewed the ratings of Allstate and its insurance operating subsidiaries on July 12, 2016. For more details, see Fitch's press release at www.fitchratings.com.

RATING SENSITIVITIES

Key rating triggers for Allstate that could lead to an upgrade include:

--Sustainable capital position measured by net leverage excluding life company capital below 3.8x and a score approaching 'Very Strong' on Fitch's Prism capital model;

--No material deterioration in underwriting profitability of the property/casualty operations from current levels.

Given its Negative Outlook, Fitch considers an upgrade of Allstate Life Insurance Company (ALIC) unlikely over the near- to intermediate-term. The following rating triggers could result in a revision of ALIC's Outlook to Stable from Negative:

--An improvement in statutory Risky Assets/TAC ratio to 200% with operating performance remaining stable;

--Fitch's view of its strategic importance changes to 'Core' from 'Very Important'.

Given its relatively small size and scale, American Heritage Life Insurance Company (AHLIC) is unlikely to be upgraded in the near- to intermediate-term, but the following could result in an upgrade over the longer term:

--Fitch's view of its strategic importance changes to 'Very Important' from 'Important' or if the agency's view of parent support merits a greater degree of uplift.

Key rating triggers for Allstate that could lead to a downgrade include:

--A prolonged decline in underwriting profitability that is inconsistent with industry averages or is driven by an effort to grow market share during soft pricing conditions;

--Significant deterioration in capital strength as measured by Fitch's capital model, NAIC risk-based capital, and statutory net leverage. Specifically, if net leverage excluding life company capital approached 5x it would place downward pressure on ratings;

--Significant increases in financial leverage ratio to greater than 30%;

--Liquid assets at the holding company of less than one year's interest expense, and preferred and common dividends.

Key rating triggers that could lead to a downgrade for ALIC include:

--Statutory Risky Assets/TAC ratio deteriorates further;

--Fitch's view of its strategic importance weakens.

Key rating triggers that could lead to a downgrade for AHLIC include:

--Financial performance or capitalization deteriorates significantly;

--Fitch's view of its strategic importance weakens.

FULL LIST OF RATING ACTIONS

Fitch has assigned the following ratings:

Allstate Corporation

--$550 million 3.28% senior notes due 2026 at 'BBB+';

--$700 million 4.20% senior notes due 2046 at 'BBB+'.

Fitch currently rates the Allstate entities as follows:

The Allstate Corporation

--Long-Term Issuer Default Rating at 'A-'/Stable Outlook;

--Preferred stock at 'BB+';

--Commercial paper at 'F2';

--Short-Term IDR at 'F2'.

The following senior unsecured debt at 'BBB+':

--6.75% $177 million debenture due May 15, 2018;

--7.45% $317 million debenture due May 16, 2019;

--3.15% $500 million debenture due June 15, 2023;

--6.125% $159 million note due Dec. 15, 2032;

--5.35% $323 million note due June 1, 2033;

--5.55% $546 million note due May 9, 2035;

--5.95% $386 million note due April 1, 2036;

--6.9% $165 million debenture due May 15, 2038;

--5.2% $62 million note due Jan. 15, 2042;

--4.5% $500 million note due June 15, 2043.

The following junior subordinated debt at 'BBB-':

--6.125% $224 million debenture due May 15, 2067;

--5.10% $500 million subordinated debenture due Jan. 15, 2053;

--5.75% $800 million subordinated debenture due Aug. 15, 2053;

--6.5% $500 million debenture due May 15, 2067.

<> Allstate Insurance Company



Allstate County Mutual Insurance Co.

Allstate Indemnity Co.


Allstate Property & Casualty Insurance Co.

Allstate Texas Lloyd's

Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Co.

Encompass Home and Auto Insurance Co.

Encompass Independent Insurance Co.

Encompass Insurance Company of America

Encompass Insurance Company of Massachusetts

Encompass Property and Casualty Co.

--Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) at 'A+'/Stable Outlook.

American Heritage Life Insurance Co.

--IFS at 'A'/Stable Outlook.

Allstate Life Insurance Co.

Allstate Life Insurance Co. of NY

--IFS at 'A'/Negative Outlook.

Date of Relevant Rating Committee: July 11, 2016

Additional information is available on www.fitchratings.com

Applicable Criteria

Insurance Rating Methodology - Effective May 17, 2016 to Sept. 15, 2016 (pub. 17 May 2016)

https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/881564

Additional Disclosures

Solicitation Status

https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=1015916

Endorsement Policy

https://www.fitchratings.com/regulatory

ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTPS://WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON (News - Alert) THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEB SITE AT 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. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE.

Copyright © 2016 by Fitch Ratings, Inc., Fitch Ratings Ltd. and its subsidiaries. 33 Whitehall Street, NY, NY 10004. Telephone: 1-800-753-4824, (212) 908-0500. Fax: (212) 480-4435. Reproduction or retransmission in whole or in part is prohibited except by permission. All rights reserved. In issuing and maintaining its ratings and in making other reports (including forecast information), Fitch relies on factual information it receives from issuers and underwriters and from other sources Fitch believes to be credible. Fitch conducts a reasonable investigation of the factual information relied upon by it in accordance with its ratings methodology, and obtains reasonable verification of that information from independent sources, to the extent such sources are available for a given security or in a given jurisdiction. The manner of Fitch's factual investigation and the scope of the third-party verification it obtains will vary depending on the nature of the rated security and its issuer, the requirements and practices in the jurisdiction in which the rated security is offered and sold and/or the issuer is located, the availability and nature of relevant public information, access to the management of the issuer and its advisers, the availability of pre-existing third-party verifications such as audit reports, agreed-upon procedures letters, appraisals, actuarial reports, engineering reports, legal opinions and other reports provided by third parties, the availability of independent and competent third- party verification sources with respect to the particular security or in the particular jurisdiction of the issuer, and a variety of other factors. Users of Fitch's ratings and reports should understand that neither an enhanced factual investigation nor any third-party verification can ensure that all of the information Fitch relies on in connection with a rating or a report will be accurate and complete. Ultimately, the issuer and its advisers are responsible for the accuracy of the information they provide to Fitch and to the market in offering documents and other reports. In issuing its ratings and its reports, Fitch must rely on the work of experts, including independent auditors with respect to financial statements and attorneys with respect to legal and tax matters. Further, ratings and forecasts of financial and other information are inherently forward-looking and embody assumptions and predictions about future events that by their nature cannot be verified as facts. As a result, despite any verification of current facts, ratings and forecasts can be affected by future events or conditions that were not anticipated at the time a rating or forecast was issued or affirmed.

The information in this report is provided "as is" without any representation or warranty of any kind, and Fitch does not represent or warrant that the report or any of its contents will meet any of the requirements of a recipient of the report. A Fitch rating is an opinion as to the creditworthiness of a security. This opinion and reports made by Fitch are based on established criteria and methodologies that Fitch is continuously evaluating and updating. Therefore, ratings and reports are the collective work product of Fitch and no individual, or group of individuals, is solely responsible for a rating or a report. The rating does not address the risk of loss due to risks other than credit risk, unless such risk is specifically mentioned. Fitch is not engaged in the offer or sale of any security. All Fitch reports have shared authorship. Individuals identified in a Fitch report were involved in, but are not solely responsible for, the opinions stated therein. The individuals are named for contact purposes only. A report providing a Fitch rating is neither a prospectus nor a substitute for the information assembled, verified and presented to investors by the issuer and its agents in connection with the sale of the securities. Ratings may be changed or withdrawn at any time for any reason in the sole discretion of Fitch. Fitch does not provide investment advice of any sort. Ratings are not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. Ratings do not comment on the adequacy of market price, the suitability of any security for a particular investor, or the tax-exempt nature or taxability of payments made in respect to any security. Fitch receives fees from issuers, insurers, guarantors, other obligors, and underwriters for rating securities. Such fees generally vary from US$1,000 to US$750,000 (or the applicable currency equivalent) per issue. In certain cases, Fitch will rate all or a number of issues issued by a particular issuer, or insured or guaranteed by a particular insurer or guarantor, for a single annual fee. Such fees are expected to vary from US$10,000 to US$1,500,000 (or the applicable currency equivalent). The assignment, publication, or dissemination of a rating by Fitch shall not constitute a consent by Fitch to use its name as an expert in connection with any registration statement filed under the United States securities laws, the Financial Services and Markets Act of 2000 of the United Kingdom, or the securities laws of any particular jurisdiction. Due to the relative efficiency of electronic publishing and distribution, Fitch research may be available to electronic subscribers up to three days earlier than to print subscribers.

For Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and South Korea only: Fitch Australia Pty Ltd holds an Australian financial services license (AFS license no. 337123) which authorizes it to provide credit ratings to wholesale clients only. Credit ratings information published by Fitch is not intended to be used by persons who are retail clients within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001


[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]