Rating Rationale
September 30, 2020 | Mumbai
Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited
Ratings Reaffirmed 
 
Rating Action
Lower Tier II Bonds Aggregating Rs.25 Crore  CRISIL AA+/Stable (Reaffirmed)
Rs.8000 Crore Commercial Paper CRISIL A1+ (Reaffirmed)
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has reaffirmed its ratings on the debt programmes of Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Ltd (Chola Finance) at 'CRISIL AA+/Stable/CRISIL A1+'.

The ratings continue to factor in strong support from the Murugappa group, the credit risk profile of which has also improved, and a healthy market position in the vehicle finance segment. These strengths are partially offset by the average credit quality of the loan against property (LAP) portfolio.

The nationwide lockdown declared by the Government of India and various state governments to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted disbursements and collections of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). The lockdown is being lifted in a phased manner and operations should continue to be affected until the pandemic subsides.

The company's ability to manage collections and asset quality given the weak macroeconomic environment is a key monitorable amidst the impact on the underlying borrower cash flows. It had given moratorium to borrowers and around 76% of them in terms of value had availed the facility as of August 31, 2020. While the collection efficiency was impacted during the initial months of the moratorium, collections have inched up since then. Also, the company has been able to collect around 50% from the book under moratorium. Nevertheless, any delay in return to normalcy could put pressure on collections and asset quality metrics and will be a key monitorable. Also, while the one-time restructuring scheme announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will provide the necessary support to affected borrowers in the current environment, its details and operational implementation remain to be seen.

The RBI announced regulatory measures under the Covid-19 Regulatory Package, whereby lenders were permitted to grant moratorium on bank loans (originally till May 31, 2020, but extended till August 31, 2020). However, CRISIL understands that the Chola Finance group had not opted for any moratorium from its lenders and continues to service debt as per schedule. CRISIL believes the group has comfortable liquidity to meet all obligations till January 2021.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Strengths
* Healthy market position in the vehicle financing segment
Chola Finance has sustained its strong market position in the vehicle financing segment which constitutes over two-thirds of the total financing business. Overall growth has been healthy in recent years; there was a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 19%, with assets under management (AUM) increasing to Rs 63,501 crore as on June 30, 2020 (Rs 60,549 crore as on March 31, 2020). The vehicle finance book comprised of commercial vehicles (CVs; 53%) followed by cars (13%) and multi-utility vehicles (MUVs; 10%); 2/3 wheelers, construction equipment and tractors constituted the remaining. Further, around 75% of the AUM was towards financing of new vehicles.
 
CV finance will remain the flagship business over the medium term. The company has an established track record in catering to customer segments such as small and medium fleet transport operators and first-time users. A strong understanding of the borrower profile helps to provide customised offerings while appropriately factoring in risks inherent in lending to the segment.
 
The asset quality in the vehicle financing portfolio has also improved since March 31, 2020, supported by strengthening of collections and recovery processes and systems. The gross non-performing assets (NPAs) ratio within the vehicle financing business stood at 2.40% as on June 30, 2020, as against 2.09% a year earlier (2.9% as on March 31, 2020).
 
The company has also established a moderate presence in the LAP business with AUM of over Rs 13,000 crore (around 21% of the total AUM) as on June 30, 2020. It is also planning to increase its presence in the housing loans segment, which will provide diversity to the business profile.
 
* Strong expectation of support from the Murugappa group
Significant equity and management support continues from the Murugappa group, which holds a majority equity stake of 51.7% in the company through Cholamandalam Financial Holdings Ltd (45.5%) and other group entities. The group's credit risk profile has strengthened due to increasing business diversity and improving debt protection metrics. It has, in the past, demonstrated timely funding support to Chola Finance during weak liquidity conditions. In fiscal 2020, it infused capital of Rs 300 crore thus augmenting capitalisation. For over two decades, the company has been the group's arm in financial services, a key growth engine, and contributed to around 36% of the consolidated net profits in fiscal 2020. The group is likely to maintain its majority equity stake in the company and continue to provide financial and managerial support whenever required.
 
Weakness
* Average credit quality in the LAP business
Delinquencies in the LAP portfolio remain high as reflected in the gross NPAs of 6.9% as on June 30, 2020 (5.8% as on June 30, 2019). The company is making concrete efforts to address the credit quality challenges with higher focus on recoveries through enforcement of provisions of the Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act and repossession of properties in case of wilful defaults. The ability to improve asset quality while continuing to grow the portfolio in mortgage finance will remain a monitorable.
Liquidity Strong

The asset-liability management profile as on June 30, 2020, had positive cumulative gaps for all buckets. The company had liquidity cushion aggregating Rs 12,699 crore in the form of cash and cash equivalents (Rs 7,530 crore) and unutilised bank lines (Rs 5,169 crore) as on August 31, 2020. Against this, it has upcoming repayment of around Rs 9,087 crore for the next five months till January 31, 2021. The company has raised around Rs 12,628 crore during April to August 2020 (in the form of commercial paper, term loans, working capital demand loans, and other instruments) at competitive rates.  

Outlook: Stable

CRISIL believes Chola Finance will continue to grow and maintain its strong market position in the vehicle financing segment, while sustaining asset quality, over the medium term.

Rating sensitivity factors
Upward factors

* Upward revision in CRISIL's view on the Murugappa group's credit risk profile
* Significant improvement in market position and asset quality, coupled with a sustained increase in return on managed assets beyond 3%

Downward factors
* Downward revision in CRISIL's view on the Murugappa group's credit risk profile
* Significant and sustained deterioration in asset quality, with gross NPAs increasing beyond 5%, coupled with lower profitability

About the Company

Part of the Chennai-based Murugappa group, Chola Finance was incorporated in 1978. The company mainly provides vehicle financing and LAP, along with home, MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) and agricultural loans. It had 1,098 branches across 29 states in India, with 81% presence across tier III and tier IV cities, as on June 30, 2020.

Between April 2005 and March 2010, the company operated as a joint venture between DBS Bank and the Murugappa group. In March 2010, DBS Bank sold its 37.5% equity stake to the Murugappa group. Chola Finance exited the unsecured personal loan segment in October 2008. It also exited its asset management business through a complete stake sale in DBS Chola Asset Management to L&T Finance Ltd in September 2009. The Murugappa group currently holds 51.7% equity stake in Chola Finance, of which 45.5% is held by Cholamandalam Financial Holdings Ltd, a group company.

Chola Finance  currently has two subsidiaries: Cholamandalam Securities Ltd (CSEC) and Cholamandalam Home Finance Ltd (CHFL).

For the first quarter of fiscal 2021, profit after tax (PAT) was Rs 431 crore on total income (net of interest expense) of Rs 983 crore, against Rs 314 crore and Rs 942 crore, respectively, for corresponding period of fiscal 2020.

Key Financial Indicators
As on/for the quarter ended June 30   2020 2019
Total Assets Rs crore 67,875 62,420
Total income Rs crore 2,114 2,029
PAT Rs crore 431 314
Gross NPA % 3.3 3.0
Adjusted gearing Times 6.7 8.2
Return on managed assets % 2.4 1.8

Any other information
Chola Finance has a comfortable financial risk profile supported by improved earnings and stable capitalisation. However, profitability in fiscal 2020 decreased with PAT of Rs 1,052 crore (-11.3% fiscal-on-fiscal) on account of additional provisions of Rs 504 crore to cover contingencies related to Covid-19 and macro-economic factors. Excluding these, net profits increased by 17% to Rs 1,387 crore in fiscal 2020 from Rs 1,186 crore in the earlier fiscal. Overall, return on managed assets stood at around 1.6% for fiscal 2020.
 
Tier I and overall capital adequacy ratios stood at 15.8% and 20.4%, respectively, as on June 30, 2020 (15.3% and 20.7%, respectively, as on March 31, 2020). The net worth improved to Rs 8,172 crore as on March 31, 2020, from Rs 6,176 crore a year earlier, supported by capital raising of Rs 1,200 crore (Rs 900 crore through qualified institutional placement [QIP] and Rs 300 crore through preferential issue to the parent) during the last quarter of fiscal 2020. Consequently, the adjusted gearing decreased to 6.7 times as on March 31, 2020, from 8.2 times a year earlier. The networth and adjusted gearing stood at Rs 8,595 crore and 6.8 times, respectively, as on June 30, 2020. Further, the networth coverage for net NPAs was 7.4 times as on this date.

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments and are included (where applicable) in the Annexure -- Details of Instrument in this Rating Rationale. For more details on the CRISIL complexity levels, please visit www.crisil.com/complexity-levels.
Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)
ISIN Name of Instrument Date of Allotment Coupon Rate (%) Maturity Date Issue Size (Rs. Cr) Complexity levels Rating Outstanding with Outlook
NA Lower Tier-II Bond* NA NA NA 25 Complex CRISIL AA+/Stable
NA Commercial Paper NA NA 7-365 Days 8000 Simple CRISIL A1+
*Yet to be issued
Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2020 (History) 2019  2018  2017  Start of 2017
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Commercial Paper  ST  8000.00  CRISIL A1+      05-09-19  CRISIL A1+  03-10-18  CRISIL A1+    --  -- 
Lower Tier II Bonds  LT  0.00
30-09-20 
CRISIL AA+/Stable      05-09-19  CRISIL AA+/Stable  03-10-18  CRISIL AA+/Stable  27-10-17  CRISIL AA/Stable  CRISIL AA/Stable 
                22-06-18  CRISIL AA+/Stable       
Short Term Debt  ST    --    --    --    --  27-10-17  Withdrawal  CRISIL A1+ 
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
Links to related criteria
Rating Criteria for Finance Companies
CRISILs Criteria for rating short term debt
Criteria for Notching up Stand Alone Ratings of Companies based on Group Support

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