DBRS Morningstar Upgrades and Confirms Provisional Ratings on the Secured Notes of BlackRock DLF IX CLO 2021-1, LLC

DBRS, Inc. (DBRS Morningstar) upgraded its provisional rating on the Class B Notes (together with the Class A-1 Notes, Class A-2 Notes, Class C Notes, Class D Notes, Class E Notes, and Class W Notes, 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 (rated AA (high) with a Stable trend by DBRS Morningstar), as the Collateral Agent, Custodian, Document Custodian, Collateral Administrator, Information Agent, and Note Agent; and the Purchasers referred to therein as follows:

-- Class B Notes to AA (sf) from AA (low) (sf)

In addition, DBRS Morningstar confirmed its provisional ratings on the remaining classes of notes as follows:

-- Class A-1 Notes at AAA (sf)
-- Class A-2 Notes at AAA (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.

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 Secured Notes are collateralized primarily by a portfolio of U.S. middle-market corporate loans. The Issuer is 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.

For more information regarding DBRS Morningstar’s additional adjustment for select industries related to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), 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 methodologies are Rating CLOs and CDOs of Large Corporate Credit (January 26, 2022) and Cash Flow Assumptions for Corporate Credit Securitizations (January 26, 2022), which can be found on dbrsmorningstar.com under Methodologies & Criteria.

The DBRS Morningstar Sovereigns group releases baseline macroeconomic scenarios for rated sovereigns. DBRS Morningstar analysis considered impacts with the baseline scenarios set forth in the following report:
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/384482/baseline-macroeconomic-scenarios-application-to-credit-ratings.

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:

Each of the principal asset class methodologies employed in the analysis addressed one or more particular risks or aspects of the rating and were factored into the rating decision. The “Rating CLOs and CDOs of Large Corporate Credit” (January 26, 2022) methodology provides a general overview of the entire rating process and details on asset analysis. The “Cash Flow Assumptions for Corporate Credit Securitization” (January 26, 2022) methodology outlines the assumptions and analytical approach used in cash flow analysis.

This is the first rating action since the Initial Rating Date.

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: Quan Yoon, 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 CLO Asset Model Version 2.2.3.1 (January 26, 2022),
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/391226

-- Cash Flow Assumptions for Corporate Credit Securitizations (January 26, 2022),
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/391225

-- Operational Risk Assessment for Collateralized Loan Obligation (CLO) and Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO) Managers of Large Corporate Credits (September 20, 2021),
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/384628/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 (June 10, 2021),
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/379958/interest-rate-stresses-for-us-structured-finance-transactions

-- Legal Criteria for U.S. Structured Finance (December 15, 2021),
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/389789