OREANDA-NEWS. September 01, 2015.  Fitch Ratings has assigned an 'AA+' rating to the following Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) bonds:

--\\$55.71 million State Capital Project bonds (SCPBs) II, 2015 Series C.

Additionally, Fitch affirms the ratings on approximately \\$1.2 billion in bonds backed by AHFC's general obligation (GO) pledge (see full list below).

The Rating Outlook on all bonds is Stable.

SECURITY

The bonds are general obligations of the AHFC for which its full faith and credit are pledged.

KEY RATING DRIVERS

STRONG FINANCIAL POSITION: AHFC consistently maintains one of the highest financial strength profiles relative to its peers which contribute to its 'AA+' GO rating. The corporation's sizeable asset base allows it to maintain its credit strength despite five years of net operating losses.

SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL: AHFC has a well tenured management staff that continues to demonstrate the financial flexibility to address market challenges.

GEOGRAPHIC CONCENTRATION: A high portion of AHFC's loan portfolio, which provides security for other bonds that also have GO backing, is located in and around the city of Anchorage (53%). Geographic concentration is a limiting factor.

STRONG UNDERLYING ASSETS: The aggregate underlying mortgage portfolio of the corporation has performed adequately and has a delinquency rate of only 1.65% (60+ days) as of July 31, 2015, which is lower than state and national averages.

RATING SENSITIVITIES

INCREASED STATE TRANSFERS: Under current legislative policies, transfers from Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) to the state of Alaska are annually capped at the lesser of \\$103 million or 75% of change in net assets. Changes to this policy that could increase AHFC's exposure to potentially higher transfers, which could take the form of additional debt on behalf of the state, could put negative pressure on the corporation's general obligation rating.

CREDIT PROFILE

The 2015 series C bonds are the 11th series of bonds to be issued under the SCPB II Indenture and have a final maturity date of 2035. The bonds proceeds will be used to advance refund prior debt obligations of the corporation, to refund other prior debt obligations of the corporation, and to reimburse the corporation for certain governmental purpose expenditures. No specific mortgage loans are pledged to the bonds, as the GO of the corporation is the sole security for the bonds. Therefore, the 'AA+' rating on the bonds reflects the rating of AHFC's GO debt pledge.

AHFC continues to illustrate its strong financial position despite net losses, which were primarily attributed to transfers to the state, for the last five years. The corporation has continuously maintained strong leverage and profitability ratios. As of FY 2014, the corporation had a debt-to-equity (DTE) ratio of 1.6x and a net interest spread (NIS) of 36.2%. Both ratios are better than the FY 2014 median DTE and NIS for all 51 SHFAs which were 3.4x and 30.1%, respectively. The corporation's financial ratios can be attributed to its strong loan portfolio, sizeable equity base, and successful managerial oversight.

A credit concern going forward is the corporation's relationship with the state of Alaska and the state's expected transfers from AHFC. However, a statutory change, effective in fiscal 2003, caps AHFC's annual transfers to the state at the lesser amount of \\$103 million or 75% of a change in net assets. While this policy mitigates current concerns over transfers to the state, any changes to this policy that could increase AHFC's exposure to potentially higher transfers would put negative pressure on the corporation's GO rating.

An additional credit concern centers on the geographic concentration in AHFC's loan portfolio. Anchorage and its suburb, Wasilla/Palmer, account for approximately 52% of the corporation's loan portfolio and should a natural disaster occur in this area it could impact a majority of the loan portfolio, which could put pressure on the GO rating. This risk is mitigated somewhat by AHFC's sound financial position. Additionally, Alaska's real estate market is vulnerable to the state's cyclical oil driven economy and is monitored closely.

Fitch has also affirmed the following AFHC bonds at 'AA+':

--\\$14.6 million (University of Alaska) Governmental Purpose Bonds 1997 series A;
--\\$43.1 million State Capital Project bonds 2002 series C;
--\\$86.7 million State Capital Project bonds 2006 series A;
--\\$74.3 million State Capital Project bonds 2007 series A & B;
--\\$77.0 million State Capital Project bonds 2011 series A;
--\\$129.1 million General Mortgage revenue bonds II 2012 series A;
--\\$87.3 million State Capital Project bonds II 2012 series A;
--\\$136.8 million State Capital Project bonds II 2013 series A & B;
--\\$342.4 million State Capital Project bonds II 2014 series A, B, C, & D;
--\\$204.9 million State Capital Project bonds II 2015 series A & B.