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SMALL BUSINESS
Fitch Rates MTP Shares Issued by Nuveen Georgia Dividend Advantage Municipal Fund 2 'AAA'
Business Wire
Fitch Ratings has assigned an 'AAA' rating to the following securities
issued by Nuveen Georgia Dividend Advantage Municipal Fund 2 (AMEX:
NKG), a municipal closed-end fund managed by Nuveen Asset Management:
-- Up to $34,517,250 of MuniFund Term Preferred Shares, 2.65% series
2015, with a liquidation preference of $10 per share (MTP Shares), due
Feb. 1, 2015.
The closing date for the MTP shares was Jan. 29, 2010. The fund used the
net proceeds from the sale of MTP Shares to redeem all outstanding
Municipal Auction Rate Cumulative Preferred Shares (MuniPreferred),
while maintaining or slightly increasing the fund's leveraged capital
structure, depending on the extent that the underwriters exercise their
overallotment option.
The fund's pro-forma leverage is approximately $38 million, or 34% of
total assets. Pro forma leverage consists of approximately $34 million
of MTP Shares, and $4 million of floating rate certificates of tender
option bonds.
The 'AAA' rating is based on sufficient asset coverage provided to the
MTP Shares by the fund's underlying portfolio of assets, structural
protections afforded by mandatory de-leveraging provisions in the event
of asset coverage declines, the legal and regulatory parameters that
govern the fund's operations and the capabilities of Nuveen Asset
Management as investment advisor. The MTP Shares are expected to trade
on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker 'NKG Pr C' within
30 days after the date of the Jan. 26, 2010 prospectus filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Prior to the commencement of trading
on the NYSE, MTP Shares will remain illiquid. Regardless, Fitch's rating
on the MTP Shares only speaks to credit risk of the security and not to
potential liquidity in the secondary market.
As of Jan. 7, 2010, the fund's pro-forma asset coverage ratio for total
outstanding preferred shares, as calculated in accordance with the
Investment Company Act of 1940, was in excess of 225%, which is the
minimum asset coverage required by the fund's governing documents
(Preferred Asset Coverage Test). As of the same date, the fund's pro
forma asset coverage ratio for both preferred shares and floating rate
certificates of tender option bonds, was in excess of 200%, which is
also a minimum asset coverage ratio required by the fund's governing
documents (Effective Leverage Test). Should either of the asset coverage
tests decline below their minimum threshold amounts, the governing
documents' mandatory redemption mechanisms will require the fund to
delever the affected liabilities in a sufficient amount to restore
compliance with the applicable asset coverage test(s).
Fitch notes that the mandatory redemption mechanisms outlined in the
fund's operating documents do not specifically reference minimum asset
coverage ratios set forth in Fitch's rating criteria. However, Fitch
views the fund's permitted investments, municipal issuer diversification
framework and mandatory deleveraging mechanisms (as set forth under the
Preferred Asset Coverage Test and Effective Leverage Test) as consistent
with an 'AAA' rating.
Fitch would also note that the fund has the ability to assume economic
leverage through derivative transactions which may not be captured by
the fund's Preferred Asset Coverage Test or Effective Leverage Test. The
fund has engaged in limited derivative activities in the past, but does
not envision engaging in material amounts of such activity in the
future. In fact, such activity is limited by the fund's investment
guidelines and could run counter to the fund's investment objective of
achieving tax-exempt income. Should material derivative exposure be
utilized in the future, this could have potential negative rating
implications if it adversely affects asset coverage available to the
rated MTP Shares.
Nuveen Georgia Dividend Advantage Municipal Fund 2 is a diversified,
closed-end management investment company that commenced investment
operations on Sept. 25, 2002. The fund's primary investment objective is
to provide current income exempt from both regular federal income taxes
and Georgia income tax. The fund pursues its objective, under normal
market conditions, by investing at least 95% of assets in such
tax-exempt municipal securities. Furthermore, the fund invests at least
80% of assets in investment grade quality municipal securities, at the
time of purchase, or unrated securities judged to be of comparable
quality by Nuveen Asset Management.
Nuveen Asset Management is the fund's investment adviser, responsible
for the fund's overall investment strategy and its implementation.
Nuveen Asset Management is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nuveen
Investments. Founded in 1898, Nuveen Investments and its affiliates had
approximately $141 billion of assets under management as of Sept. 30,
2009.
Applicable criteria available on Fitch's web site at '
www.fitchratings.com'
include:
-- 'Closed-End Fund Debt and Preferred Stock Rating Criteria' (Aug. 17,
2009).
Additional information is available at '
www.fitchratings.com'.
ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND
DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING
THIS LINK:
HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS.
IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE
AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE '
WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'.
PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS
SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS
OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES
AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF
THIS SITE.
Copyright Business Wire 2010
2010-02-01 15:53:00
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