DBRS Morningstar Assigns Provisional Ratings to the Secured Notes of BlackRock DLF IX CLO 2021-1, LLC

DBRS, Inc. (DBRS Morningstar) assigned provisional ratings to the following Notes (together, the Secured Notes) issued by BlackRock DLF IX CLO 2021-1, LLC, pursuant to the Note Purchase and Security Agreement (the NPSA) dated as of March 30, 2021, among BlackRock DLF IX CLO 2021-1, LLC, as the Issuer; U.S. Bank National Association, as the Collateral Agent, Custodian, Document Custodian, Collateral Administrator, Information Agent, and Note Agent; and the Purchasers referred to therein.

-- Class A-1 Notes at AAA (sf)
-- Class A-2 Notes at AAA (sf)
-- Class B Notes at AA (low) (sf)
-- Class C Notes at A (sf)
-- Class D Notes at BBB (sf)
-- Class E Notes at BB (sf)
-- Class W Notes at B (sf)

The provisional ratings on the Class A-1 Notes and the Class A-2 Notes address the timely payment of interest (excluding the additional interest payable at the Post-Default Rate, as defined in the NPSA) and the ultimate payment of principal on or before the Stated Maturity of March 30, 2031.

The provisional ratings on the Class B Notes, the Class C Notes, the Class D Notes, the Class E Notes, and the Class W Notes address the ultimate payment of interest (excluding the additional interest payable at Post-Default Rate, as defined in the NPSA) and the ultimate payment of principal on or before the Stated Maturity of March 30, 2031. The Class W Notes will have a fixed-rate coupon that is lower than the spread/coupon of some of the more-senior Secured Notes, including the Class E Notes, and could therefore be considered below market rate.

As of the Closing Date, DBRS Morningstar’s ratings on the Secured Notes will be provisional. The provisional ratings reflect the fact that the finalization of the provisional ratings are subject to certain conditions after the Closing Date, such as compliance with the Eligibility Criteria (as defined in the NPSA).

Provisional ratings are not final ratings with respect to the above-mentioned Secured Notes and may change or be different than the final ratings assigned or may be discontinued. The assignment of final ratings on the Secured Notes is subject to receipt by DBRS Morningstar of all data and/or information and final documentation that DBRS Morningstar deems necessary to finalize the ratings.

The Notes will be collateralized primarily by a portfolio of U.S. middle-market corporate loans. The Issuer will be managed by BlackRock Capital Investment Advisors, LLC (BCIA), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. DBRS Morningstar considers BCIA an acceptable collateralized loan obligation (CLO) manager.

The provisional ratings reflect the following primary considerations:

(1) The NPSA, dated as of March 30, 2021.

(2) The integrity of the transaction structure.

(3) DBRS Morningstar’s assessment of the portfolio quality.

(4) Adequate credit enhancement to withstand DBRS Morningstar’s projected collateral loss rates under various cash flow-stress scenarios.

(5) DBRS Morningstar’s assessment of the origination, servicing, and CLO management capabilities of BCIA.

To assess portfolio credit quality, DBRS Morningstar provides a credit estimate or internal assessment for each nonfinancial corporate obligor in the portfolio that is not rated by DBRS Morningstar. Credit estimates are not ratings; rather, they represent a model-driven default probability for each obligor that is used in assigning a rating to a facility.

As the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) spread around the world, certain countries imposed quarantines and lockdowns, including the United States, which accounts for more than one fourth of confirmed cases worldwide. The coronavirus pandemic has negatively affected not only the economies of the nations most afflicted, but also the overall global economy with diminished demand for goods and services as well as disrupted supply chains. The effects of the pandemic may result in deteriorated financial conditions for many companies and obligors, some of which will experience the effects of such negative economic trends more than others. At the same time, governments and central banks in multiple regions, including the United States and Europe, have taken significant measures to mitigate the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

In conjunction with DBRS Morningstar’s commentary, “Global Macroeconomic Scenarios: Implications for Credit Ratings,” published on April 16, 2020, and its updated commentary, “Global Macroeconomic Scenarios: March 2021 Update,” published on March 17, 2021, DBRS Morningstar further considers additional adjustments to assumptions for the CLO asset class that consider the moderate economic scenario outlined in the commentary. The adjustments include a higher default assumption for the weighted-average (WA) credit quality of the current collateral obligation portfolio. To derive the higher default assumption, DBRS Morningstar notches ratings for obligors in certain industries and obligors at various rating levels based on their perceived exposure to the adverse disruptions caused by the coronavirus. Considering a higher default assumption would result in losses that exceed the original default expectations for the affected classes of notes. DBRS Morningstar may adjust the default expectations further if there are changes in the duration or severity of the adverse disruptions.

For CLOs with minimally ramped assets at closing, DBRS Morningstar considers whether that the NPSA contains a Collateral Quality Matrix with sufficient rows and columns that would allow for higher stressed DBRS Morningstar Risk Scores and therefore a higher default probability on the collateral pool, while still remaining in compliance with the other Collateral Quality Tests, such as the WA Spread and Diversity Score. The results of this analysis indicate that the instruments can withstand an additional higher default probability commensurate with a moderate-scenario impact of the coronavirus.

For more information regarding DBRS Morningstar’s simplified set of macroeconomic scenarios for select economies related to the coronavirus, please see please see its April 16, 2020, commentary, “Global Macroeconomic Scenarios: Implications for Credit Ratings,” at https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/359679; its April 22, 2020, commentary, “Global Macroeconomic Scenarios: Application to Credit Ratings,” at https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/359903; and its March 17, 2021, updated commentary, “Global Macroeconomic Scenarios: March 2021 Update,” at https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/375376.

For more information regarding DBRS Morningstar’s additional adjustment for select industries related to the coronavirus, please see its May 18, 2020, commentary, “CLO Risk Exposure to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19),” at https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/361112.

A description of how DBRS Morningstar considers ESG factors within the DBRS Morningstar analytical framework can be found in the DBRS Morningstar Criteria: Approach to Environmental, Social, and Governance Risk Factors in Credit Ratings at https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/373262.

Notes:
All figures are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted.

The principal methodology is Rating CLOs and CDOs of Large Corporate Credit (February 8, 2021), which can be found on dbrsmorningstar.com under Methodologies & Criteria.

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.

For more information regarding structured finance rating methodologies and Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), please see the following DBRS Morningstar press release: https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/358308.

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.

Please see the related appendix for additional information regarding the sensitivity of assumptions used in the rating process.

This rating is endorsed by DBRS Ratings Limited for use in the United Kingdom, and by DBRS Ratings GmbH for use in the European Union, respectively. The following additional regulatory disclosures apply to endorsed ratings:

This rating concerns a newly issued financial instrument. This is the first DBRS Morningstar rating on this financial instrument.

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. DBRS Morningstar understands further information on DBRS Morningstar historical default rates may be published by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on its webpage: https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/credit-rating-agencies.

Lead Analyst: Joseph Priolo, Senior Vice President, U.S. Structured Credit
Rating Committee Chair: Jerry van Koolbergen, Managing Director, U.S. Structured Credit
Initial Rating Date: March 30, 2021

For more information on this credit or on this industry, visit www.dbrsmorningstar.com or contact us at [email protected].

DBRS, Inc.
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New York, NY 10005 USA
Tel. +1 212 806-3277

-- Rating CLOs and CDOs of Large Corporate Credit and DBRS CLO Asset Model Version 2.2.3 (February 8, 2021),
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/373423/rating-clos-and-cdos-of-large-corporate-credit

-- Cash Flow Assumptions for Corporate Credit Securitizations (February 8, 2021),
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/373422/cash-flow-assumptions-for-corporate-credit-securitizations

-- Operational Risk Assessment for Collateralized Loan Obligation (CLO) and Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO) Managers of Large Corporate Credits (September 22, 2020),
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/366977/operational-risk-assessment-for-collateralized-loan-obligation-clo-and-collateralized-debt-obligation-cdo-managers-of-large-corporate-credits

-- Interest Rate Stresses for U.S. Structured Finance Transactions (October 23, 2020),
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/368786/interest-rate-stresses-for-us-structured-finance-transactions

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https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/371685/legal-criteria-for-us-structured-finance

-- DBRS Morningstar Criteria: Approach to Environmental, Social, and Governance Risk Factors in Credit Ratings (February 3, 2021),
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/373263/dbrs-morningstar-publishes-final-methodology-for-approach-to-environmental-social-and-governance-risk-factors-in-credit-ratings