DBRS Morningstar Confirms Ratings on Golden Bar (Securitisation) S.r.l. Series 2019-1

DBRS Ratings GmbH (DBRS Morningstar) confirmed its AA (low) (sf) and A (low) (sf) ratings on the Class A and Class B Notes, respectively, issued by Golden Bar (Securitisation) S.r.l. Series 2019-1 (the Issuer).

The ratings on the Class A and Class B Notes address the timely payment of interest and the ultimate payment of principal on or before the legal final maturity date in July 2039.

The confirmations follow an annual review of the transaction and are based on the following analytical considerations:
-- The portfolio performance, in terms of delinquencies, defaults, and losses as of the April 2020 payment date;
-- Probability of default (PD), loss given default (LGD), and expected loss assumptions considering the worst-case portfolio composition allowed under the eligibility criteria;
-- Current available credit enhancement (CE) to the notes to cover the expected losses at their respective rating levels.
-- No revolving termination events have occurred.

The Issuer is a securitisation of Italian auto loan receivables originated and serviced by Santander Consumer Bank SpA. The transaction, which closed in June 2019, follows the standard structure under Italian securitisation law. The transaction has a 12-month revolving period, which is expected to end in July 2020.

PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE
As of the April 2020 payment date, one- to two-month and two- to three-month delinquencies were 0.1% and 0.06% of the portfolio balance, respectively. Gross cumulative defaults represented 0.3% of the aggregate original portfolio, with cumulative recoveries of 4.3% since closing.

PORTFOLIO ASSUMPTIONS AND KEY DRIVERS
DBRS Morningstar conducted a loan-by-loan analysis of the remaining pool of receivables and has maintained its base case PD and LGD assumptions at 3.6% and 71.6%, respectively, based on the worst-case portfolio composition.

The transaction includes a 12-month revolving period, during which the Issuer has the option to purchase new receivables. Concentration limits are in place to mitigate any negative evolution of the portfolio, and performance triggers are included in the revolving period termination events. When the revolving period ends, the amortisation of the notes will begin. To date, all triggers have been met.

CREDIT ENHANCEMENT
The subordination of the junior notes provides credit enhancement to the Class A and Class B Notes. As of the April 2020 payment date, credit enhancements to the Class A and Class B Notes were 11.4% and 8.3%, respectively, down from 11.7% and 8.7%, respectively, at closing.

The cash reserve covers senior fees and interest shortfalls on the Class A and Class B Notes. As of the April 2020 payment date, the cash reserve was at its target level of EUR 5.4 million.

Banco Santander SA (Santander) acts as the account bank for the transaction. Based on the account bank reference rating of Santander at A (high), one notch below its DBRS Morningstar Long-Term Critical Obligations Rating (COR) of AA (low), the downgrade provisions outlined in the transaction documents, and structural mitigants inherent in the transaction structure, DBRS Morningstar considers the risk arising from the exposure to the account bank to be consistent with the rating assigned to the Class A Notes, as described in DBRS Morningstar's "Legal Criteria for European Structured Finance Transactions" methodology.

Santander also acts as the swap counterparty for the transaction. DBRS Morningstar's Long-Term COR of Santander at AA (low) is above the First Rating Threshold as described in DBRS Morningstar's "Derivative Criteria for European Structured Finance Transactions" methodology.

DBRS Morningstar analysed the transaction structure in Intex DealMaker.

The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and the resulting isolation measures have caused an economic contraction, leading to sharp increases in unemployment rates and income reductions for many borrowers. DBRS Morningstar anticipates that delinquencies may arise in the coming months for many ABS transactions, some meaningfully. The ratings are based on additional analysis and adjustments to expected performance as a result of the global efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

On 16 April 2020, the DBRS Morningstar Sovereign group released a set of macroeconomic scenarios for the 2020-22 period in select economies. These scenarios were updated on 1 June 2020. For details see the following commentaries: https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/361867/global-macroeconomic-scenarios-june-update and https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/359903/global-macroeconomic-scenarios-application-to-credit-ratings. The DBRS Morningstar analysis considered impacts consistent with the moderate scenario in the referenced reports.

For more information on DBRS Morningstar considerations for European ABS transactions and Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), please see the following commentary: https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/360734.

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.

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.

Notes:
All figures are in euros unless otherwise noted.

The principal methodology applicable to the ratings is the “Master European Structured Finance Surveillance Methodology” (22 April 2020). DBRS Morningstar has applied the principal methodology consistently and conducted a review of the transaction in accordance with the principal methodology.

A review of the transaction legal documents was not conducted as the legal documents have remained unchanged since the most recent rating action.

An asset and a cash flow analysis were both conducted. Due to the inclusion of a revolving period in the transaction, the analysis continues to be based on the worst-case replenishment criteria set forth in the transaction legal documents.

Other methodologies referenced in this transaction are listed at the end of this press release. These may be found at: https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/about/methodologies.

For a more detailed discussion of the sovereign risk impact on Structured Finance ratings, please refer to “Appendix C: The Impact of Sovereign Ratings on Other DBRS Credit Ratings” of the “Global Methodology for Rating Sovereign Governments” at: https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/350410/global-methodology-for-rating-sovereign-governments.

The sources of data and information used for this rating include investor reports provided by The Bank of New York Mellon SA/NV - Milan Branch, and loan-level data provided by the European DataWarehouse GmbH.

DBRS Morningstar did not rely upon third-party due diligence in order to conduct its analysis.

At the time of the initial ratings, DBRS Morningstar was supplied with third-party assessments. However, this did not impact the rating analysis.

DBRS Morningstar considers the data and information available to it for the purposes of providing these ratings to be of satisfactory quality.

DBRS Morningstar does not audit or independently verify the data or information it receives in connection with the rating process.

The last rating action on this transaction took place on 25 June 2019, when DBRS Morningstar finalised its provisional ratings of AA (low) (sf) and A (low) (sf) on the Class A and Class B Notes, respectively.

The lead analyst responsibilities for this transaction have been transferred to Petter Wettestad.

Information regarding DBRS Morningstar ratings, including definitions, policies, and methodologies is available at www.dbrsmorningstar.com.

To assess the impact of changing the transaction parameters on the ratings, DBRS Morningstar considered the following stress scenarios as compared with the parameters used to determine the ratings (the base case):

-- DBRS Morningstar expected a lifetime base case PD and LGD for the pool based on a review of the current assets. Adverse changes to asset performance may cause stresses to base case assumptions and therefore have a negative effect on credit ratings.
-- The base case PD and LGD of the current pool of loans for the Issuer are 3.6% and 71.6%, respectively.
-- The Risk Sensitivity overview below illustrates the ratings expected if the PD and LGD increase by a certain percentage over the base case assumption. For example, if the LGD increases by 50%, the rating of the Class A Notes would be expected to fall to A (sf), assuming no change in the PD. If the PD increases by 50%, the rating for the Class A Notes would be expected to fall to A (low) (sf), assuming no change in the LGD. Furthermore, if both the PD and LGD increase by 50%, the rating of the Class A Notes would be expected to fall to BBB (sf).

Class A Notes Risk Sensitivity:
-- 25% increase in LGD, expected rating of A (high) (sf).
-- 50% increase in LGD, expected rating of A (sf).
-- 25% increase in PD, expected rating of A (high) (sf).
-- 50% increase in PD, expected rating of A (low) (sf).
-- 25% increase in PD and 25% increase in LGD, expected rating of A (low) (sf).
-- 25% increase in PD and 50% increase in LGD, expected rating of A (low) (sf).
-- 50% increase in PD and 25% increase in LGD, expected rating of BBB (sf).
-- 50% increase in PD and 50% increase in LGD, expected rating of BBB (sf).

Class B Notes Risk Sensitivity:
-- 25% increase in LGD, expected rating of BBB (sf).
-- 50% increase in LGD, expected rating of BBB (sf).
-- 25% increase in PD, expected rating of BBB (high) (sf).
-- 50% increase in PD, expected rating of BBB (sf).
-- 25% increase in PD and 25% increase in LGD, expected rating of BB (high) (sf).
-- 25% increase in PD and 50% increase in LGD, expected rating of BB (sf).
-- 50% increase in PD and 25% increase in LGD, expected rating of BB (low) (sf).
-- 50% increase in PD and 50% increase in LGD, expected rating of B (high) (sf).

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

Ratings assigned by DBRS Ratings GmbH are subject to EU and U.S. regulations only.

Lead Analyst: Petter Wettestad, Senior Analyst
Rating Committee Chair: Alfonso Candelas, Senior Vice President
Initial Rating Date: 3 June 2019

DBRS Ratings GmbH
Neue Mainzer Straße 75
60311 Frankfurt am Main Deutschland
Tel. +49 (69) 8088 3500

Geschäftsführer: Detlef Scholz
Amtsgericht Frankfurt am Main, HRB 110259

The rating methodologies used in the analysis of this transaction can be found at: https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/about/methodologies.

-- Master European Structured Finance Surveillance Methodology (22 April 2020),
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/359884/master-european-structured-finance-surveillance-methodology.
-- Rating European Consumer and Commercial Asset-Backed Securitisations (13 January 2020), https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/355533/rating-european-consumer-and-commercial-asset-backed-securitisations.
-- Rating European Structured Finance Transactions Methodology (28 February 2020),
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/357428/rating-european-structured-finance-transactions-methodology.
-- Legal Criteria for European Structured Finance Transactions (11 September 2019),
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/350234/legal-criteria-for-european-structured-finance-transactions.
-- Operational Risk Assessment for European Structured Finance Originators (28 February 2020), https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/357430/operational-risk-assessment-for-european-structured-finance-originators.
-- Operational Risk Assessment for European Structured Finance Servicers (28 February 2020), https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/357429/operational-risk-assessment-for-european-structured-finance-servicers.
-- Interest Rate Stresses for European Structured Finance Transactions (10 October 2019), https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/351557/interest-rate-stresses-for-european-structured-finance-transactions.
-- Derivative Criteria for European Structured Finance Transactions (26 September 2019),
https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/350907/derivative-criteria-for-european-structured-finance-transactions.

A description of how DBRS Morningstar analyses structured finance transactions and how the methodologies are collectively applied can be found at https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/278375.

For more information on this credit or on this industry, visit www.dbrsmorningstar.com or contact us at info@dbrsmorningstar.com.