Rating Actions: Wells Fargo Breaks Triple-A Wall With Moody's Upgrade

Moody's Investors Service last week upgraded Wells Fargo Bank & Co.'s senior debt to Aa1 from Aa2 and its bank subsidiaries, including Wells Fargo Bank, to Aaa from Aa1.

The rating action propels Wells Fargo into a unique spot as the only triple-A rated bank in the U.S., said Brad Vander Ploeg, senior research analyst at Raymond James & Co., who added that the upgrade means a positive lift to all of its businesses.

In the letter-of-credit market, Wells Fargo has not been a major player, but its upgrade certainly puts it in a situation to improve its position. As of yesterday, the firm served as provider on 13 issues totaling $106 million since January. Last year it provided enhancement on 30 issues totaling $193.9 million.

David Fanger, Moody's analyst on Wells Fargo, said in a report that the upgrade reflects the company's strong retail and middle-market banking franchise, good earnings diversification by product and geography, consistently robust core earnings, solid risk management, and highly focused sales culture.

The agency believes these attributes should lead to the continuation of a stable and predictable earnings and risk profile.

Standard & Poor's rates Wells Fargo's senior unsecured debt AA-minus/A1-plus and its subordinate debt A-plus with a positive outlook. Those ratings have been in place since 1998. Fitch Ratings rates Wells Fargo's holding company AA/F1-plus with a stable outlook. Fitch does not have a AAA rating on any U.S. banks at this point, said John Olert, managing director.

Since mid-2002, the corporate ratings on a number of banks have been lowered. Commerzbank AG, J.P. Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch & Co., Bayerische Hypo-und Vereinsbank AG, and Toronto-Dominion Bank all have either been placed on negative watch or downgraded by at least one rating agency because of slumps in the industry's net revenues and pre-tax income.

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