Fitch Expects to Rate AIG's New Sr. Unsecured Notes 'BBB+'

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fitch Ratings expects to assign a rating of 'BBB+' to American International Group, Inc.'s (AIG) $420 million issuance of 4.9% senior notes due 2045. Proceeds from this new issue will be used for general corporate purposes.

KEY RATING DRIVERS

This new issue is rated equivalent to the ratings of AIG's existing senior debt, and was sold in the Taiwan market. AIG completed offerings of 30-year notes in Taiwan in March 2015 ($350 million) and July 2015 ($290 million).

Financial leverage as measured by the ratio of financial debt and preferred securities to total capital (excluding operating debt and the impact of FAS 115) was 17.5% at June 30, 2015, up from 16.5% at year-end 2014. Pro forma financial leverage adjusting for the new issuance, the July 2015 repurchase of $3.4 billion of AIG parent debt, and prior third-quarter 2015 issuances of $2.79 billion of senior debt is 17.5%.

Fitch affirmed the ratings of AIG and its insurance operating subsidiaries with a Positive Outlook on Sept. 1, 2015.

RATING SENSITIVITIES

Key triggers that could lead to an upgrade include:

--Improvement in GAAP earnings-based interest coverage to 10x or above;

--No material changes in AIG's capital structure, including maintenance of financial leverage and total financing and commitments (TFC) ratio at current levels as well as risk-based capital at the company's insurance subsidiaries;

--Stable-to-improving overall operating earnings.

Key triggers that could lead to an upgrade to the ratings of AIG's property/casualty subsidiaries include:

--A shift to sustainable underwriting profitability, with greater loss reserve stability or reserve redundancies.

Key triggers that could lead to a return to a Stable Outlook include:

--Increase in financial leverage to above 20%, or an increase in the TFC ratio to above 0.7x from 0.5 currently;

--Significant reductions in debt servicing capacity from holding company assets and available dividends from subsidiaries to a level below 6x annual interest on financial debt;

--Large underwriting losses and/or heightened reserve volatility of the company's non-life insurance subsidiaries;

--Deterioration in the company's domestic life subsidiaries' profitability trends;

--Material declines in risk-based capital ratios at either the domestic life insurance or the non-life insurance subsidiaries.

FULL LIST OF RATING ACTIONS

Fitch expects to assign the following rating:

--USD420 million of 4.9% senior unsecured notes due Sept. 25, 2045 'BBB+'.

Fitch currently rates the AIG entities as follows, with a Positive Outlook:

American International Group, Inc.

--Long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) 'A-';

--Various senior unsecured note issues 'BBB+';

--USD999.55 million of 5.05% senior unsecured notes due Oct. 1, 2015 'BBB+';

--EUR42.24 million of 6.797% senior unsecured notes due Nov. 15, 2017 'BBB+';

--GBP100.2 million of 6.765% senior unsecured notes due Nov. 15, 2017 'BBB+';

--USD1 billion of 2.3% senior unsecured notes due July 16, 2019 'BBB+';

--USD638.4 million of 3.375% senior unsecured notes due Aug. 15, 2020 'BBB+';

--USD708 million of 6.4% senior unsecured notes due Dec. 15, 2020 'BBB+';

--USD1.5 billion of 4.875% senior unsecured notes due June 2022 'BBB+';

--USD1 billion of 4.125% senior unsecured notes due Feb. 15, 2024 'BBB+';

--USD1.25 billion of 3.75% senior unsecured notes due July 10, 2025 'BBB+';

--USD1.2 billion of 3.875% senior unsecured notes due Jan. 15, 2035 'BBB+';

--USD500 million of 4.7% senior unsecured notes due July 10, 2035 'BBB+';

--USD1 billion of 6.25% senior unsecured notes due May 1, 2036 'BBB+';

--USD243.43 million of 6.820% senior unsecured notes due Nov. 15, 2037 'BBB+';

--USD 2.25 billion of 4.5% senior unsecured notes due July 16, 2044 'BBB+';

--USD350 million of 4.35% senior unsecured notes due Mar. 20, 2045 'BBB+';

--USD750 million of 4.8% senior unsecured notes due July 10, 2045 'BBB+';

--USD290 million of 4.9% senior unsecured notes due July 17, 2045 'BBB+';

--USD800 million of 4.375% senior unsecured notes due Jan. 15, 2055 'BBB+';

--USD20.3 million of 5.60% senior unsecured notes due July 31, 2097 'BBB+';

--EUR12.85 million of 8.00% series A-7 junior subordinated debentures due May 22, 2038 'BBB-';

--USD607.17 million of 8.175% series A-6 junior subordinated debentures due May 15, 2058 'BBB-';

--GBP88.2 million of 5.75% series A-2 junior subordinated debentures due March 15, 2067 'BBB-';

--EUR162.6 million of 4.875% series A-3 junior subordinated debentures due March 15, 2067 'BBB-';

--GBP5.6 million of 8.625% series A-8 junior subordinated debentures due May 22, 2068 'BBB-';

--USD403.18 million of 6.25% series A-1 junior subordinated debentures due March 15, 2087 'BBB-'.

AIG International, Inc.

--Long-term IDR 'A-'.

AIG Life Holdings, Inc.

--Long-term IDR 'A-';

--USD135.5 million of 7.50% senior unsecured notes due July 15, 2025 'BBB+';

--USD150 million of 6.625% senior unsecured notes due Feb. 15, 2029 'BBB+';

--USD116.4 million of 8.50% junior subordinated debentures due July 1, 2030 'BBB-';

--USD78.9 million of 7.57% junior subordinated debentures due Dec. 1, 2045 'BBB-';

--USD227.3 million of 8.125% junior subordinated debentures due March 15, 2046 'BBB-'.

AGC Life Insurance Company

American General Life Insurance Company

The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company

United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York

--Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) rating 'A+'.

AIU Insurance Company

American Home Assurance Company

AIG Assurance Company

AIG Europe Limited

American International Overseas Limited

AIG Property Casualty Company

AIG Specialty Insurance Company

Commerce & Industry Insurance Company

Granite State Insurance Company

Illinois National Insurance Company

Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania

Lexington Insurance Company

National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, PA

New Hampshire Insurance Company

--IFS rating 'A'.

ASIF Global Financing

--USD750 million of 6.9% senior secured notes due March 15, 2032 'A+'.

ASIF II Program

--GBP200 million of 6.375% senior secured notes due Oct. 5, 2020 'A+';

--USD82 million of 0% senior secured notes due Jan. 2, 2032 'A+'.

ASIF III Program

--CHF150 million of 3% senior secured notes due Dec. 29, 2015 'A+';

--GBP350 million of 5.375% senior secured notes due Oct. 14, 2016 'A+';

--GBP250 million of 5% senior secured notes due Dec. 18, 2018 'A+';

--EUR200 million of 1.66% senior secured notes due Dec. 20, 2024 'A+'.

Additional information is available on www.fitchratings.com

Applicable Criteria

Insurance Rating Methodology (pub. 14 Jul 2015)

https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=868367

Additional Disclosures

Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form

https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/content/ridf_frame.cfm?pr_id=990791

Solicitation Status

https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=990791

Endorsement Policy

https://www.fitchratings.com/jsp/creditdesk/PolicyRegulation.faces?context=2&detail=31

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View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150914006268/en/

Fitch Ratings
Primary Analyst
James B. Auden, CFA
Managing Director
+1-312-368-3146
Fitch Ratings, Inc.
70 W. Madison Street
Chicago, IL 60602
or
Secondary Analyst
Tana M. Higman
Director
+1-312-368-3122
or
Committee Chairperson
Keith M. Buckley
Managing Director
+1-312-368-3211
or
Media Relations:
Alyssa Castelli, +1-212-908-0540
[email protected]

Source: Fitch Ratings

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