Rating Rationale
January 30, 2019 | Mumbai
Syndicate Bank
Rating reaffirmed 
 
Rating Action
Lower Tier-II Bonds Aggregating Rs.2725 Crore (Under Basel II) CRISIL AA/Stable (Reaffirmed)
Perpetual Tier-I Bonds Aggregating Rs.777 Crore (Under Basel II) CRISIL AA/Stable (Reaffirmed)
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has reaffirmed its 'CRISIL AA/Stable' rating on the debt instruments of Syndicate Bank. CRISIL has also withdrawn its rating on the Lower Tier-II bonds (under Basel II) of Rs 300 crore (See Annexure 'Details of Rating Withdrawn' for details) on confirmation from the debenture trustee as it is fully redeemed. The rating is withdrawn in line with CRISIL's policy.
 
The rating continues to reflect strong expectation of support from majority owner, Government of India (GoI), which has a strong moral obligation to support the bank. The rating also factors in the bank's adequate capitalisation. These strengths are partially offset by weak asset quality and modest earnings.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at the rating, CRISIL has considered the standalone business and financial risk profiles of Syndicate Bank and has factored in the support that the bank is likely to receive from GoI. This is because GoI is both the majority shareholder in public sector banks (PSBs) and the guardian of India's financial system. The stability of the banking sector is of prime importance to GoI, given the criticality of the sector to the economy, the strong public perception of sovereign backing for PSBs, and the severe implications of any PSB failure in terms of political fallout, systemic stability, and investor confidence in public sector institutions.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Strengths:
* Strong expectation of support from GoI:
The rating continues to factor in the expected strong government support, both on an ongoing basis and in the event of distress. This is because GoI is both the majority shareholder in public sector banks (PSBs) and the guardian of India's financial system. The stability of the banking sector is of prime importance to GoI, given the criticality of the sector to the economy, the strong public perception of sovereign backing for PSBs, and the severe implications of any PSB failure in terms of political fallout, systemic stability, and investor confidence in public sector institutions. CRISIL believes that the majority ownership creates a moral obligation on GoI to support PSBs, including Syndicate Bank. GoI infused Rs 2839 crore in Syndicate Bank in fiscal 2018. Furthermore, in fiscal 2019, GoI infused Rs 728 crore in September 2018 and Rs 1632 crore in December 2018.
 
* Adequate capitalisation:
Syndicate Bank has adequate capitalisation, with tier-I and overall capital adequacy ratio (under Basel III) at 8.07% and 10.95%, respectively, as on September 30, 2018 (9.41% and 12.24% as on March 31, 2018). However, networth coverage for net non-performing assets (NPAs) remained low at 0.9 time as on September 30, 2018 (1.2 times as on September 30, 2017), given asset quality pressure. Nevertheless, CRISIL believes Syndicate Bank's capitalisation will remain adequate over the medium term on account of continued GoI support which will help the bank meet regulatory capital requirements.
 
Weakness
* Weak asset quality: Asset quality remains weak, with gross NPAs of 12.98% as on September 30, 2018 (11.53% as on March 31, 2018). Slippages to NPAs, as a percentage of opening net advances, declined but remained high at 6.8% (on an annualised basis) in the half year ended September 30, 2018 (7.2% for fiscal 2018). Increase in NPAs was primarily due to slippages of a few large accounts and the stress in the agriculture and MSME (micro, small, and medium enterprise) portfolios. However, the bank has increased its focus on recoveries (including through the IBC route) and resolving asset quality challenges. CRISIL expects asset quality to gradually improve over the medium term. Nonetheless, ability to arrest slippages and improve recovery will remain a key rating monitorable.
 
* Modest earnings: Syndicate Bank's earnings remain modest. The bank reported loss of Rs 2824 crore for the half year ended September 30, 2018, primarily because of high provisioning expense. Provisioning expense is likely to remain high over the next few quarters, given ageing of NPAs and limited recoveries. Net interest margin (NIM) declined to 1.94% (annualised) for the half year ended September 30, 3018, from 2.10% for fiscal 2018. Return on assets (RoA) was negative 1.8% (annualised) for the half year ended September 30, 2018 (negative 1.0% for fiscal 2018). CRISIL believes the bank's profitability will remain modest in the near term on account of high credit cost. However, as the book starts growing and with improvement in asset quality, the profitability is expected to improve.
Liquidity

The bank has adequate liquidity, supported by a sizeable retail deposit base that forms a significant part of the total deposits. Liquidity coverage ratio was 115.06% as on September 30, 2018, against the regulatory requirement of 90%. The excess statutory liquidity ratio was Rs 21,832 crore (8.77%) as on that date. The bank's liquidity also benefits from access to systemic sources of funds such as the liquidity adjustment facility from the Reserve Bank of India, access to the call money market, and refinance limits from sources such as National Housing Bank and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.

Outlook: Stable

CRISIL believes Syndicate Bank will continue to benefit from strong support from GoI. The bank is also likely to remain adequately capitalised over the medium term. The outlook may be revised to 'Positive' if there is a significant and sustained improvement in profitability and asset quality. The outlook may be revised to 'Negative' if earnings or asset quality weakens significantly, or if capital ratios are not maintained at adequate levels.

About the Bank

Syndicate Bank was set up in 1925. As on September 30, 2018, the bank had 4018 branches (including a branch in London), global advances of Rs 2,09,043 crore, and global deposits of Rs 2,68,222 crore.
 
Syndicate Bank reported total income (net of interest charges) of Rs 9358 crore and loss of Rs 3223 crore for fiscal 2018, against Rs 9733 crore and profit of Rs 359 crore, respectively, for the previous year. The bank incurred a loss of Rs 2824 crore and had total income (net of interest charges) of Rs 3948 crore for the six months ended September 30, 2018, against a loss of Rs 158 crore and total income (net of interest charges) of Rs 4798 crore for the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

Key Financial Indicators
As on / for the period ended September30 Unit 2018 2017
Total assets Rs crore 3,09,833 3,23,596
Total income Rs crore 11526 12,590
Profit after tax Rs crore (2824) (158)
Gross NPAs % 12.98 9.39
Overall capital adequacy ratio  % 10.95 12.17
Return on assets (annualized) % -1.87 -0.10
 
Note on Hybrid Instruments (under Basel II):
Given that hybrid capital instruments (Tier-I perpetual bonds and Upper Tier-II bonds; under Basel II) have characteristics that set them apart from Lower Tier-II bonds (under Basel II), the ratings on the two instruments may not necessarily be identical. The factors that could trigger a default event for hybrid instruments include: the bank breaching the regulatory minimum capital requirement, or the regulator's denial of permission to the bank to make payments of interest and principal if the bank reports losses. Hence, the transition from one rating category to another may be significantly sharper for these instruments than in the case of Lower Tier-II bonds. This is because debt servicing on hybrid instruments is far more sensitive to the bank's overall capital adequacy levels and profitability.

Any other information: Not applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments. The CRISIL complexity levels are available on www.crisil.com/complexity-levels. Users are advised to refer to the CRISIL complexity levels for instruments that they consider for investment. Users may also call the Customer Service Helpdesk with queries on specific instruments.
Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)
ISIN Name of Instrument Date of
Allotment
Coupon
Rate (%)
Maturity
Date
Issue
Size (Rs Cr)
Rating Outstanding
with Outlook
INE667A09128 Perpetual Tier-I Bonds (Under Basel II) 25-Mar-2008 9.90 Perpetual 240.00 CRISIL AA/Stable
INE667A09144 Perpetual Tier-I Bonds (Under Basel II) 12-Jan-2009 9.40 Perpetual 339.00 CRISIL AA/Stable
INE667A09169 Perpetual Tier-I Bonds (Under Basel II) 29-Jun-2009 8.90 Perpetual 194.00 CRISIL AA/Stable
NA Perpetual Tier-I Bonds (Under Basel II)* NA NA NA 4.0 CRISIL AA/Stable
INE667A09151 Lower Tier-II Bonds (Under Basel II) 15-Jun-2009 8.49 15-Jun-2019 200.00 CRISIL AA/Stable
INE667A09177 Lower Tier-II Bonds (Under Basel II) 31-Dec-2012 9.00 31-Dec-2022 1000.00 CRISIL AA/Stable
NA Lower Tier-II Bonds (Under Basel II)* NA NA NA 1225.0 CRISIL AA/Stable
*Yet to be issued
 
Annexure - Details of Rating Withdrawn
ISIN Name of Instrument Date of
Allotment
Coupon
Rate (%)
Maturity Date Issue Size
(Rs Cr)
INE667A09136 Lower Tier-II Bonds
(Under Basel II)
26-Dec-2008 8.60 26-Dec-2018 300.00
 
Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2019 (History) 2018  2017  2016  Start of 2016
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Lower Tier-II Bonds (under Basel II)  LT  1200.00
30-01-19 
CRISIL AA/Stable      25-01-18  CRISIL AA/Stable  29-08-17  CRISIL AA/Negative  26-08-16  CRISIL AA/Negative  CRISIL AA+/Stable 
                    10-03-16  CRISIL AA/Watch Negative   
Perpetual Tier-I Bonds (under Basel II)  LT  773.00
30-01-19 
CRISIL AA/Stable      25-01-18  CRISIL AA/Stable  29-08-17  CRISIL AA/Negative  26-08-16  CRISIL AA/Negative  CRISIL AA+/Stable 
                    10-03-16  CRISIL AA/Watch Negative   
Tier I Bonds (Under Basel III)  LT    --    --    --    --  10-03-16  Withdrawn  CRISIL AA-/Stable 
Upper Tier-II Bonds (under Basel II)  LT    --    --    --  29-08-17  Withdrawn  26-08-16  CRISIL AA/Negative  CRISIL AA+/Stable 
                    10-03-16  CRISIL AA/Watch Negative   
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
Links to related criteria
Rating Criteria for Banks and Financial Institutions
Criteria for Notching up Stand Alone Ratings of Entities Based on Government Support
Rating Criteria for Hybrid Capital instruments issued by banks under Basel II guidelines

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