OREANDA-NEWS. September 28, 2015. Fitch Ratings has taken the following rating actions on several private banks in Taiwan:

- Upgraded EnTie Commercial Bank's (EnTie) National Ratings to 'A(twn)' from 'A-(twn)';
- Revised the Outlook of Far Eastern International Bank (FEIB) and Taichung Commercial Bank (Taichung) to Stable from Negative; and
- Affirmed all ratings of Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank (SCSB), King's Town Bank (KTB) and Bank of Taipei (BOTP).

A full list of rating actions is at the end of this commentary.

KEY RATING DRIVERS

IDRS, NATIONAL RATINGS AND VIABILITY RATINGS
The ratings of the aforementioned are driven by their intrinsic credit profiles.

EnTie's upgrade reflects Fitch's expectation that the bank would sustain its improved capitalisation on the basis of the bank's improved earnings quality, measured appetite for loan growth, reduced concentration in deposits and loans to the property-related sectors.

The Outlooks of FEIB and Taichung have been revised to Stable from Negative, based on their enhanced and stabilised capital profiles as they managed down asset growth and face lower risk of sharp asset-quality deterioration as loans acquired during the previous growth period mature.

SCSB, KTB and BOTP's affirmations reflect their stable credit profiles commensurate with their respective ratings. Fitch expects the three banks to sustain adequate capitalisation relative to their risk-taking, and at the same time, maintain healthy asset quality by their focused market strategy.

The six banks differ greatly in corporate strategy and establishment; those that practice differentiation have developed more valuable franchises, which ultimately drive better financial performance.

SCSB is rated the highest at 'A-'.It has continued to record strong asset quality, above-peer profitability and superior capitalisation, backed by its focused strategy and long established SME client base as well as its networking services through its affiliates in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

KTB and EnTie pursue niche business strategies. KTB has an entrenched regional deposit base and delivers strong profitability due to its productive investment in offshore fixed-income securities and selective lending. Entie has cultivated a niche in lending to property development projects and structured finance.

SCSB and KTB are well capitalised and disciplined in maintaining higher capitalisation ratios. Fitch finds the four other banks' capitalisation is more vulnerable to cyclical downturns, mainly due to their relatively weaker internal capital generation and concentration either in property-related sectors (EnTie, Taichung) or mortgages (BOTP and FEIB).

SUPPORT RATING AND SUPPORT RATING FLOOR
Support Ratings (SRs) and Support Rating Floors (SRFs) are driven by the respective banks' systemic importance. All of the banks have support ratings of 4 or 5, reflecting their modest systemic importance.

SUBORDINATED DEBT AND OTHER HYBRID SECURITIES
EnTie, FEIB, and Taichung's Basel II-compliant subordinated debts are rated one notch below their National Long-Term Ratings to reflect their subordinated status and the absence of any going-concern loss-absorption mechanism.

FEIB and Taichung's Basel III-compliant subordinated debts are rated two notches below the banks' National Long-Term Ratings (which are anchored by their respective VRs) to reflect the bonds' limited recovery prospects. The bondholders would risk significant loss at the point of non-viability, when common equity capital would be very low, resulting in a very thin loss absorption buffer. At the point of non-viability, which is reached upon government receivership, regulatory order for resolution or liquidation, the bonds would be ranked equally with common shares.

RATING SENSITIVITIES

IDRS, NATIONAL RATINGS AND VIABILITY RATINGS
Fitch believes that the credit profile of the six banks is generally stable, underpinned by modest growth commensurate with the respective bank's capital generation capacity and focused market strategy. Risks of asset quality deterioration, primarily from a softening property market, are also manageable, given enhanced provisioning and satisfactory collateralisation.

Fitch believes that these six banks' ratings will be most sensitive to any significant increase in risk appetite or deterioration in asset quality emanating from any sharp correction in property price and/or protracted slowdown in China. Large investment losses relative to its capital buffer at KTB could also have downward rating pressure.

SUPPORT RATING AND SUPPORT RATING FLOOR
The SR and SRF are sensitive to any change in assumptions around the propensity or ability of the Taiwan government to provide timely support to these banks. This would most likely be manifested in a change to Taiwan's sovereign rating (A+/Stable).

SUBORDINATED DEBT AND OTHER HYBRID SECURITIES
Any change to the ratings on EnTie, FEIB, and Taichung is likely to trigger a similar change in their debt ratings.

The rating actions are as follows:

BOTP:
National Long-Term Rating affirmed at 'A-(twn)'; Outlook Stable; and
National Short-Term Rating affirmed at 'F1(twn)'.

EnTie:
National Long-Term Rating upgraded to 'A(twn)' from 'A-(twn)'; Outlook Stable;
National Short-Term Rating upgraded to 'F1(twn) ' from 'F2(twn)';
Senior unsecured debt upgraded to 'A(twn)' from 'A-(twn); and
Subordinated debt upgraded to 'A-(twn)' from 'BBB+(twn)'.

FEIB:
Long-Term IDR affirmed at 'BBB-'; Outlook revised to Stable from Negative;
Short-Term IDR affirmed at 'F3';
National Long-Term Rating affirmed at 'A(twn)'; Outlook revised to Stable from Negative;
National Short-Term Rating affirmed at 'F1(twn)';
Viability Rating affirmed at 'bbb-';
Support Rating affirmed at '4';
Support Rating Floor affirmed at 'B+';
Subordinated debt rating affirmed at 'A-(twn)';
Subordinated debt rating (Basel III-compliant) affirmed at 'BBB+(twn)'; and
Convertible bond affirmed at Long-Term Rating of 'BBB-' and National Long-Term Rating of 'A(twn)'.

KTB:
Long-Term IDR affirmed at 'BBB'; Outlook Stable;
Short-Term IDR affirmed at 'F3';
National Long-Term Rating affirmed at 'A+(twn)'; Outlook Stable;
National Short-Term Rating affirmed at 'F1(twn)';
Viability Rating affirmed at 'bbb';
Support Rating affirmed at '5'; and
Support Rating Floor affirmed at 'No Floor'.

SCSB:
- Long-Term IDR affirmed at 'A-'; Stable Outlook;
- Short-Term IDR affirmed at 'F1';
- National Long-Term Rating affirmed at 'AA(twn)'; Stable Outlook;
- National Short-Term Rating affirmed at 'F1+(twn)';
- Viability Rating affirmed at 'a-';
- Support Rating affirmed at '4'; and
- Support Rating Floor affirmed at 'B+'.

Taichung:
Long-Term IDR affirmed at 'BB+'; Outlook revised to Stable from Negative;
Short-Term IDR affirmed at 'B';
National Long-Term Rating affirmed at 'A-(twn)'; Outlook revised to Stable from Negative;
National Short-Term Rating affirmed at 'F2(twn)';
Viability Rating affirmed at 'bb+';
Support Rating affirmed at '5';
Support Rating Floor affirmed at 'No Floor';
Subordinated debt affirmed at 'BBB+(twn)'; and
Subordinated debt (Basel III-compliant) affirmed at 'BBB(twn)'