DBRS Morningstar Confirms Provisional Ratings on the Secured Notes of BlackRock DLF IX CLO 2021-2, LLC

DBRS, Inc. (DBRS Morningstar) confirmed its provisional rating on the Class A-1 Notes, Class A-2 Notes, Class B Notes, Class C Notes, Class D Notes, Class E Notes, and Class W Notes (together, the Secured Notes) issued by BlackRock DLF IX CLO 2021-2, LLC, pursuant to the Note Purchase and Security Agreement (the NPSA) dated as of May 20, 2021, among BlackRock DLF IX CLO 2021-2, 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 as follows:

-- Class A-1 Notes at AAA (sf)
-- Class A-2 Notes at AA (high) (sf)
-- Class B Notes at A (high) (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 May 20, 2035.

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 May 20, 2035. The Class W Notes 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.

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 May 20, 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.

There were no Environmental, Social, or Governance factors that had a significant or relevant effect on the credit analysis. 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/384150.

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.

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

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