As part of its ongoing surveillance, Fitch Ratings affirms four and upgrades two classes of notes issued from the Ford Credit Auto Owner Trust (FCAOT) series 2015-A as follows:
2015-A:
--Class A-2A affirmed at 'AAAsf'; Outlook Stable;
--Class A-2B affirmed at 'AAAsf'; Outlook Stable;
--Class A3 affirmed at 'AAAsf'; Outlook Stable;
--Class A4 affirmed at 'AAAsf'; Outlook Stable;
--Class B upgraded from 'AAsf' to 'AAAsf'; Outlook Stable;
--Class C upgraded from 'Asf' to 'AAsf'; Outlook Positive;
--Class D is not rated by Fitch.
KEY RATING DRIVERS
The rating affirmations reflect loss coverage levels consistent with current ratings. The transaction continues to perform well within Fitch's cumulative net loss expectation to date.
The ratings reflect the quality of Ford Motor Credit Company's (FMCC) retail auto loan originations, the sound financial and legal structure of the transaction, and the strength of the servicing provided by FMCC.
RATING SENSITIVITIES
Unanticipated increases in the frequency of defaults and loss severity could produce loss levels higher than the current projected base case and impact available loss coverage and multiples levels for the transaction. Lower loss coverage could impact the ratings and Rating Outlooks depending on the extent of the decline in coverage.
In Fitch's initial review of the transaction, the notes were found to have limited sensitivity to a 1.5x and 2.5x increase of Fitch's base case loss expectations. To date, the transaction has exhibited strong performance with losses well within Fitch's initial expectations with rising loss coverage and multiple levels. As such, a material deterioration in performance would have to occur within the asset pools to have potential negative impact on the outstanding ratings.
Fitch's analysis of the Representation and Warranties (R&W) of the transaction in this review can be found in the respective appendix listed below. These R&W are compared to those of typical R&W for the asset class as detailed in the special report 'Representations, Warranties, and Enforcement Mechanisms in the Global Structured Finance Transactions' dated March 26, 2015.
DUE DILIGENCE USAGE
No third-party due diligence was provided or reviewed in relation to this rating action.
Additional information is available at www.fitchratings.com.
Applicable Criteria
Counterparty Criteria for Structured Finance and Covered Bonds (pub. 14 May 2014)
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=744158
Criteria for Rating Caps and Limitations in Global Structured Finance Transactions (pub. 28 May 2014)
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=748781
Criteria for Servicing Continuity Risk in Structured Finance (pub. 17 Dec 2015)
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=875586
Fitch's Interest Rate Stress Assumptions for Structured Finance and Covered Bonds - Excel File (pub. 22 Dec 2014)
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=840189
Global Structured Finance Rating Criteria (pub. 06 Jul 2015)
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=867952
Rating Criteria for Structured Finance Servicers (pub. 23 Apr 2015)
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=864375
Rating Criteria for U.S. Auto Loan ABS (pub. 15 Oct 2015)
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=872046
Related Research
Ford Credit Auto Owner Trust 2015-A -- Appendix
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=863507
Additional Disclosures
Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/content/ridf_frame.cfm?pr_id=998175
Solicitation Status
https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=998175
Endorsement Policy
https://www.fitchratings.com/jsp/creditdesk/PolicyRegulation.faces?context=2&detail=31
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