DBRS Morningstar Assigns Final Rating to Royal Bank of Canada’s NVCC Additional Tier 1 (AT1) Limited Recourse Capital Notes of A (low) with a Stable Trend

DBRS, Inc. (DBRS Morningstar) assigned a final rating of A (low) with a Stable trend to Royal Bank of Canada’s (RBC or the Bank) NVCC Additional Tier 1 (AT1) Limited Recourse Capital Notes (Capital Notes). DBRS Morningstar assigned the rating equal to the Bank’s Intrinsic Assessment of AA less four rating notches, which is consistent with DBRS Morningstar’s standard notching for capital instruments with contingent risks and its ratings for the Bank’s NVCC Preferred Shares. This is one notch below the rating of RBC’s NVCC Subordinated Debt.

On July 28, 2020, RBC issued $1.75 billion of Capital Notes that mature on November 24, 2080, and will have an initial five-year fixed rate of 4.5%. DBRS Morningstar notes that the Capital Notes were granted Tier 1 capital treatment by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions.

RATING DRIVERS
Given RBC’s high rating level and the current economic environment, an upgrade of the ratings is unlikely. Ratings would be downgraded if there is a prolonged adverse impact of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic resulting in a sustained deterioration in asset quality, especially due to deficiencies in risk management. Additionally, a sustained weakening of profitability metrics would also result in a downgrade of ratings.

ESG CONSIDERATIONS
A description of how DBRS Morningstar considers ESG factors within the DBRS Morningstar analytical framework and its methodologies can be found at: https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/357792.

The Grid Summary Grades for RBC are as follows: Franchise Strength – Very Strong; Earnings Power – Very Strong/Strong; Risk Profile –Strong; Funding & Liquidity – Strong; Capitalization – Very Strong/Strong.

Notes:
All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.

The principal methodology is the Global Methodology for Rating Banks and Banking Organisations (June 8, 2020) https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/362170/global-methodology-for-rating-banks-and-banking-organisations.

For more information regarding rating methodologies and Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), please see the following DBRS Morningstar press release: https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/357883.

The primary sources of information used for this rating include Company Documents. DBRS Morningstar considers the information available to it for the purposes of providing this rating was of satisfactory quality.

The rated entity or its related entities did participate in the rating process for this rating action. DBRS Morningstar had access to the accounts and other relevant internal documents of the rated entity or its related entities in connection with this rating action.

This rating is endorsed by DBRS Ratings Limited (DBRS Morningstar) for use in the European Union. The following additional regulatory disclosures apply to endorsed ratings:

The last rating action on this issuer took place on June 11, 2020, when the Bank’s ratings were confirmed.

Generally, the conditions that lead to the assignment of a Negative or Positive trend are generally resolved within a 12-month period. DBRS Morningstar’s outlooks and ratings are monitored.

For further information on DBRS Morningstar historical default rates published by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) in a central repository, see: http://cerep.esma.europa.eu/cerep-web/statistics/defaults.xhtml.

Lead Analyst: John Mackerey, Senior Vice President
Rating Committee Chair: Michael Driscoll, Managing Director, Head of NA FIG
Initial Rating Date: 19 December 2005

For more information on this credit or on this industry, visit www.dbrsmorningstar.com.
DBRS, Inc.

140 Broadway, 43rd Floor
New York, NY 10005 USA
Tel. +1 212 806-3277