[non-NRSRO] Ritz Series 45 -- Moody's assigns definitive rating to Ritz Series 45 backed by residential mortgages

Rating Action: Moody's assigns definitive rating to Ritz Series 45 backed by residential mortgages

Global Credit Research - 28 Aug 2020

Approximately JPY14.6 billion in Debt Securities affected

Tokyo, August 28, 2020 -- Moody's SF Japan K.K. has assigned a definitive rating to Ritz Series 45, backed by residential mortgage loans.

The complete rating action is as follows:

Transaction Name: Ritz Series 45

Class, Issue Amount, Scheduled Dividend, Rating

Mortgage Beneficial Interests, JPY14,563,320,000, Fixed, A1 (sf)

Closing Date: August 28, 2020

Final Maturity Date: August 31, 2057

Underlying Assets: Residential mortgage loan receivables insured by the Japan Housing Finance Agency ("JHF")

Credit and Liquidity Support Provider: JHF

Housing Loan Insurance Underwriter: JHF

Arranger/Underwriter: SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.

RATINGS RATIONALE

The Seller entrusts a pool of its residential mortgage loan receivables as well as cash to the Asset Trustee, and receives in return the Mortgage Beneficial Interests and the Reserve Beneficial Interests. The Seller sells the Mortgage Beneficial Interests to investors, but holds the Reserve Beneficial Interests.

The Seller acts as the initial servicer, under the Servicing Agreement with the Asset Trustee. The Back-up Servicer/Special Servicer is appointed, under the Back-up Servicing Agreement/Special Servicing Agreement with the Asset Trustee.

JHF (Issuer Rating: A1) and the Asset Trustee enters into a Credit Support and Liquidity Support Agreement under which JHF is obliged to guarantee the principal of and scheduled dividend payments on the Mortgage Beneficial Interests.

The Mortgage Beneficial Interests are redeemed according to the collections from the pool in a monthly, pass-through manner.

Moody's considers the Seller and the Special Servicer sufficiently capable of servicing the pool, having taken into account their business experiences and servicing operations.

The principal methodology used in this rating was "Rating Transactions Based on the Credit Substitution Approach: Letter of Credit-backed, Insured and Guaranteed Debts" (Japanese) published in June 2017 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_195787. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

Factors that would lead to an upgrade or downgrade of the rating:

The primary factor that could lead to an upgrade of the rating is an upgrade of the JHF's rating. The primary factor that could lead to a downgrade of the rating is a downgrade of the JHF's rating.