DBRS confirms the rating for Genworth Financial Mortgage Insurance Company Canada at AA and revises the rating for Genworth MI Canada Inc. to A (high)

TORONTO, May 17, 2016 /CNW/ - Genworth MI Canada Inc. (the "Company" or "Genworth MI Canada") (TSX: MIC)  noted that DBRS Limited (DBRS) has today confirmed the financial strength rating of Genworth Financial Mortgage Insurance Company Canada ("Genworth" or "Insurance Company") at AA with a stable trend. In addition, DBRS downgraded the issuer and senior unsubordinated debt ratings of the Company to A (high) with a stable trend.

DBRS' press release explains the rationale for the confirmation of the Insurance Company's rating as follows:

"The Financial Strength Rating confirmation of Genworth reflects the Insurance Company's solid market position, seasoned insurance portfolio and advanced risk analytics, as well as its strong capital position relative to the capital required to meet insurance claim obligations. The confirmation also reflects the Company's strong capital adequacy as assessed through the application of the DBRS residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) model, assuming a runoff scenario."

The issuer rating of Genworth MI Canada now reflects a two notch differential to the financial strength rating of the Insurance Company. DBRS noted the following with respect to this rating change:

"The downgrade of one notch for Genworth MI Canada is influenced by DBRS's concern that there is now a greater risk that OSFI, in a stressed mortgage market situation, may place restrictions on dividend payments from the Insurance Company."

The Company is also rated by Standard and Poor's (S&P). The S&P issuer credit rating of Genworth MI Canada is BBB+ and the financial strength rating of the Insurance Company is A+. 

The Company continues to maintain a strong balance sheet. As of March 31, 2016, the Company had $6.2 billion total assets and $3.5 billion total shareholders' equity, with first quarter net operating income of $91 million.

The full rating reports are available from each respective agency.

About Genworth MI Canada Inc. 

Genworth MI Canada Inc. (TSX: MIC) through its subsidiary, Genworth Financial Mortgage Insurance Company Canada (Genworth Canada), is the largest private residential mortgage insurer in Canada. The Company provides mortgage default insurance to Canadian residential mortgage lenders, making homeownership more accessible to first-time homebuyers. Genworth Canada differentiates itself through customer service excellence, innovative processing technology, and a robust risk management framework. For more than two decades, Genworth Canada has supported the housing market by providing thought leadership and a focus on the safety and soundness of the mortgage finance system. As at March 31, 2016, the Company had $6.2 billion total assets and $3.5 billion shareholders' equity. Find out more at genworth.ca.

Non-IFRS Financial Measures

To supplement the Company's consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with IFRS, the Company uses non-IFRS financial measures to analyze performance. Non-IFRS financial measures include net operating income (excluding fees on early retirement of debt, as applicable), operating earnings per common share (basic), operating earnings per common share (diluted), shareholders' equity excluding accumulated other comprehensive income ("AOCI"), operating return on equity and underwriting ratios such as loss ratio, expense ratio and combined ratio. Non-IFRS financial measures used by the Company to analyze the impact of the reversal of the government guarantee fund exit fee include adjusted net investment income, adjusted net income, adjusted earnings per common share (basic), adjusted earnings per common share (diluted), adjusted net operating income, adjusted operating earnings per common share (basic), adjusted operating earnings per common share (diluted), and adjusted operating return on equity. Other non-IFRS measures used by the Company to analyze performance include insurance in-force, new insurance written, pro forma Minimum Capital Test ("MCT") ratio, delinquency ratio, severity on claims paid, investment yield, book value per common share (basic) including AOCI, book value per common share (basic) excluding AOCI, book value per common share (diluted) including AOCI, book value per common share (diluted) excluding AOCI, and dividends paid per common share. The Company believes that these non-IFRS financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding its performance and may be useful to investors because they allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in its financial and operational decision making. Non-IFRS financial measures do not have standardized meanings and are unlikely to be comparable to any similar measures presented by other companies.

See the "Non‐IFRS financial measures" section at the end of the MD&A for the Company's current quarter for a reconciliation of net operating income to net income, operating earnings per common share (basic) to earnings per common share (basic), operating earnings per common share (diluted) to earnings per common share (diluted), and shareholders' equity excluding AOCI to shareholders' equity.  Definitions of key Non‐IFRS financial measures as well as an explanation of why these measures are useful to investors and the additional purposes for which management uses the measures can be found in the Company's "Glossary for non‐IFRS financial measures", in the "Non‐IFRS financial measures" section at the end of the MD&A.  The MD&A, along with the Company's most recent financial statements, are available on the Company's website and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this press release contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements").  When used in this press release, the words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "seek", "propose", "estimate", "expect", and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company are intended to identify forward-looking statements.  Specific forward-looking statements in this document include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's expectations regarding the effect of the Canadian government guarantee legislative framework, the impact of guideline changes by OSFI, and the effect of changes to the government guarantee mortgage eligibility rules, and the Company's beliefs as to housing demand and home price appreciation, unemployment rates, the Company's future operating and financial results, sales expectations regarding premiums written, capital expenditure plans, dividend policy and the ability to execute on its future operating, investing and financial strategies.

The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions, certain of which appear proximate to the applicable forward-looking statements contained herein.  Inherent in the forward-looking statements are known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or developments in the Company's business or in its industry, to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance, achievements or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.  Actual results or developments may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements.

The Company's actual results and performance could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of both known and unknown risks, including the continued availability of the Canadian government's guarantee of private mortgage insurance on terms satisfactory to the Company; the Company's expectations regarding its revenues, expenses and operations; the Company's plans to implement its strategy and operate its business; the Company's expectations regarding the redemption of its existing debentures; Company's expectations regarding the compensation of directors and officers; the Company's anticipated cash needs and its estimates regarding its capital expenditures, capital requirements, reserves and its needs for additional financing; the Company's plans for and timing of expansion of service and products; the Company's ability to accurately assess and manage risks associated with the policies that are written; the Company's ability to accurately manage market, interest and credit risks; the Company's ability to maintain ratings; interest rate fluctuations; a decrease in the volume of high loan-to-value mortgage orientations; the cyclical nature of the mortgage insurance industry; changes in government regulations and laws mandating mortgage insurance; the acceptance by the Company's lenders of new technologies and products; the Company's ability to attract lenders and develop and maintain lender relationships; the Company's competitive position and its expectations regarding competition from other providers of mortgage insurance in Canada; anticipated trends and challenges in the Company's business and the markets in which it operates; changes in the global or Canadian economies; a decline in the Company's regulatory capital or an increase in its regulatory capital requirements; loss of members of the Company's senior management team; potential legal, tax and regulatory investigations and actions; the failure of the Company's computer systems; and potential conflicts of interest between the Company and its majority shareholder, Genworth Financial, Inc.

This is not an exhaustive list of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements.  Some of these and other factors are discussed in more detail in the Company's AIF dated March 17, 2014.  Investors and others should carefully consider these and other factors and not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements.  Further information regarding these and other risk factors is included in the Company's public filings with provincial and territorial securities regulatory authorities (including the Company's AIF) and can be found on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent the Company's views only as of the date hereof.  Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on management's current plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions and the assumptions related to these plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions may change, and therefore are presented for the purpose of assisting the Company's security holders in understanding management's current views regarding those future outcomes and may not be appropriate for other purposes.  While the Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause the Company's views to change, the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Genworth MI Canada