KBRA Assigns Preliminary Ratings to Golub Capital BDC 3 ABS 2022-1 LLC

KBRA assigns preliminary ratings to one class of notes issued by Golub Capital BDC 3 ABS 2022-1 LLC (GC BDC 3 ABS 2022-1), a securitization backed by a portfolio of recurring revenue and middle market corporate loans. The rated notes will be benchmarked to three-month term SOFR.

GC BDC 3 ABS 2022-1 is a $400.0 million securitization managed by GC Advisors LLC (“Golub” or the “Collateral Manager”), a registered investment adviser and affiliate of Golub Capital. The securitization consists of $252.0 million Class A Notes and $148.0 million Subordinated Notes, which expect to receive payments from a portfolio of recurring revenue loans (“RRLs”) and middle market loans (“MMLs”). The reinvestment period is approximately two years from the closing date. The ratings reflect initial credit enhancement levels, excess spread, and structural features.

Golub Capital’s recurring revenue lending strategy focuses on first-lien senior secured loans to business-to-business software and health care service companies with a minimum level of recurring revenue and low loan-to-value ratios. Despite the low level of earnings, the obligors in the portfolio usually have strong liquidity profiles and loan covenants. The overall K-WARF of the portfolio is 3509, which represents a weighted average portfolio assessment between B- and CCC+. The portfolio presented to KBRA contains exposures to 58 obligors with 52.2% of the par exposure to the RRLs.

Founded in 1994, Golub Capital has over $40 billion in capital under management as of October 31, 2021 with over $30 billion in middle market direct lending and over $5 billion in broadly syndicated leveraged loans.

KBRA’s rating on the Class A Notes considers the timely payment of interest and ultimate payment of principal by the applicable stated maturity date.

KBRA analyzed the transaction using the Structured Credit Global Rating Methodology, the Global Structured Finance Counterparty Methodology, and the ESG Global Rating Methodology.

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Disclosures

Further information on key credit considerations, sensitivity analyses that consider what factors can affect these credit ratings and how they could lead to an upgrade or a downgrade, and ESG factors (where they are a key driver behind the change to the credit rating or rating outlook) can be found in the full rating report referenced above.

A description of all substantially material sources that were used to prepare the credit rating and information on the methodology(ies) (inclusive of any material models and sensitivity analyses of the relevant key rating assumptions, as applicable) used in determining the credit rating is available in the Information Disclosure Form(s) located here.

Information on the meaning of each rating category can be located here.

Further disclosures relating to this rating action are available in the Information Disclosure Form(s) referenced above. Additional information regarding KBRA policies, methodologies, rating scales and disclosures are available at www.kbra.com.

About KBRA

Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC (KBRA) is a full-service credit rating agency registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an NRSRO. Kroll Bond Rating Agency Europe Limited is registered as a CRA with the European Securities and Markets Authority. Kroll Bond Rating Agency UK Limited is registered as a CRA with the UK Financial Conduct Authority pursuant to the Temporary Registration Regime. In addition, KBRA is designated as a designated rating organization by the Ontario Securities Commission for issuers of asset-backed securities to file a short form prospectus or shelf prospectus. KBRA is also recognized by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners as a Credit Rating Provider.

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