ISSUER RATING - METHODOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

Issuer Rating (IR) is issuer (corporate) specific assessment of credit risk and is not confined to any specific debt instrument and/or borrowing programme. While the scope of IR is similar to long term instrument ratings, the main difference between IR and other ratings is that IR is not instrument specific but issuer-oriented. Issuer rating factors in expected performance of the entity over an intermediate time horizon of around three years and reflects the capability of the entity in servicing its entire financial obligations. The coverage of IR is much more wide vis-a-vis that of any debt instrument and the user of this rating can form an overall opinion on the credit worthiness and financial capability of the entity. Like for any other traditional debt instrument/borrowing programme, once the rating is accepted, the same shall be subject to periodic surveillance/reviews.

 

Methodology

The IR exercise mainly focuses on the entity's future cash generation capability and consequently its ability to honour its financial obligations. The analysis therefore attempts to determine the fundamentals of the business and the probabilities of change in these fundamentals, which could affect the creditworthiness of the borrower.

The framework of Infomerics' rating methodology is divided into two interdependent segments. The first deals with the operational characteristics and the second with the financial characteristics. Besides quantitative factors, qualitative aspects like assessment of management capabilities play a very important role in arriving at the IR. The relative importance of qualitative and quantitative components of the analysis varies with the type of issuer. Rating determination is a matter of experienced and holistic judgement, based on the relevant quantitative and qualitative factors affecting the credit quality of the issuer.

 

APPLICABILITY

IR is applicable for wide range of entities across varied industry segments ranging from manufacturing to banks, NBFCs, HFCs, etc. Relatively larger players prefer this product as IR can be used for participating in tender, engaging with new vendor(s) and so on.

 

RATING SCALE & DEFINITION

IVR AAA: Issuers with this rating are considered to offer the highest degree of safety regarding timely servicing of financial obligations. Such issuers carry lowest credit risk.

IVR AA:   Issuers with this rating are considered to offer high degree of safety regarding timely servicing of financial obligations. Such issuers carry very low credit risk.

IVR A:     Issuers with this rating are considered to offer adequate degree of safety regarding timely servicing of financial obligations. Such issuers carry low credit risk.

IVR BBB: Issuers with this rating are considered to offer moderate degree of safety regarding timely servicing of financial obligations. Such issuers carry moderate credit risk.

IVR BB:  Issuers with this rating are considered to offer moderate risk of default regarding timely servicing of financial obligations.

IVR B: Issuers with this rating are considered to offer high risk of default regarding timely servicing of financial obligations.

IVR C: Issuers with this rating are considered to offer very high risk of default regarding timely servicing of financial obligations.

IVR D: Issuers with this rating are in default or are expected to be in default soon in servicing of debt obligations.