NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) assigns a preliminary rating of AA(sf) to HERO Funding Trust 2014-2 Class A Notes (HERO 2014-2). The notes are newly issued asset-backed securities backed by a portfolio of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) bonds.
The notes are secured by 261 limited obligation improvement bonds, issued by Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) and San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG). The PACE bond portfolio is secured by 6,858 PACE assessments levied against 6,666 residential properties located in eleven California counties. The average PACE assessment is $19,414 with an average annual payment of $2,499. The transaction benefits from credit enhancement in the form of excess spread, overcollateralization, and a liquidity reserve.
KBRA analyzed HERO 2014-2 using the General Rating Methodology for Asset-Backed Securities published on July 30, 2012. PACE assessments fall within Category 1: Financial Assets. The key determinants considered in the rating outcome are: a structural and legal analysis of the transaction; the treatment of PACE assessments as senior tax liens; and the creditworthiness of the Counties acting as servicer. Read more.