OREANDA-NEWS. Fitch Ratings has assigned an 'A-' rating to The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (MLI) recent issuance of CAD750 million 2.1% fixed/floating subordinated debentures due June 1, 2025 (Manulife Financial Corporation guarantor).

KEY RATING DRIVERS

Proceeds from the issuance will be used for general corporate purposes including future refinancing requirements. As such, pro forma financial leverage is expected to remain unchanged at approximately 20%.

Fitch affirmed the ratings of Manulife Financial Corporation (MFC) and its insurance operating subsidiaries with a Stable Outlook on Jan. 27, 2015.

RATING SENSITIVITIES

Key rating triggers for MFC that could lead to a downgrade include:

--Decline in core earnings;
--Elevated charges for actuarial methods and assumptions or experience losses;
--Fixed-charge coverage on a core earnings basis below 6x;
--An increase in financial leverage to over 25% or an increase in total leverage to over 35%;
--A sustained drop in MFC's risk-adjusted capital position with no plans or ability to rectify. This would include the MCCSR ratio falling below 200%. The ratings on the U.S. insurance subsidiaries could be impacted if the U.S. risk-based capital ratio fell below 400%;
--Inability to successfully integrate the Standard Life Canada acquisition.

Key ratings triggers for MFC that could lead to an upgrade include:
--Continued improvement in profitability on both a core earnings and reported net income basis;
--An increase in fixed-charge coverage on a core earnings basis to over 10x;
--Maintaining current capital and earnings sensitivity to interest rate and equity markets;
--Continued maintenance of financial leverage near 20%.

Fitch has assigned the following rating:

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company
--CAD750 million 2.1% fixed/floating subordinated debentures due 2025 (Manulife Financial Corp. guarantor) at 'A-'.

Fitch currently rates the MFC entities as follows:

Manulife Financial Corporation
--Long-term IDR 'A';
--CAD550 million medium term notes 5.161% due 2015 'A-';
--USD600 million senior notes 3.40% due 2015 'A-';
--CAD900 million medium term notes 4.079% due 2015 'A-';
--CAD400 million medium term notes 5.505% due 2018 'A-';
--CAD600 million medium term notes 7.768% due 2019 'A-';
--USD500 million senior notes 4.90% due 2020 'A-';
--CAD350 million 4.10% non-cumulative class A series 1, preferred stock 'BBB';
--CAD350 million 4.65% non-cumulative class A series 2, preferred stock 'BBB';
--CAD300 million 4.50% non-cumulative class A series 3, preferred stock 'BBB';
--CAD200 million 4.20% non-cumulative reset, preferred class 1, series 3 stock 'BBB';
--CAD200 million 4.40% non-cumulative reset, preferred class 1, series 5 stock 'BBB';
--CAD250 million 4.60% non-cumulative reset, preferred class 1, series 7 stock 'BBB';
--CAD250 million 4.40% non-cumulative reset, preferred class 1, series 9 stock 'BBB';
--CAD200 million 4% non-cumulative reset, preferred class 1, series 11 stock 'BBB';
--CAD200 million 3.8% non-cumulative reset, preferred class 1, series 13 stock 'BBB';
--CAD200 million 3.90% non-cumulative reset, preferred class 1, series 15 stock 'BBB';
--CAD350 million 3.9% non-cumulative reset, preferred class 1, series 17 stock 'BBB';
--CAD250 million 3.8% non-cumulative reset, preferred class 1, series 19 stock 'BBB'.

The Manufacturers Investment Corporation
--IDR 'A';
--Short-term IDR 'F1';
--Commercial paper 'F1'.

Manulife Financial Capital Trust II
--CAD1 billion 7.405% MaCS II series 1 'A-'.

Manulife Finance, L.P.
--CAD550 million 4.448% fixed/floating senior debentures due 2026 (Manulife Financial Corp. guarantor) 'A-';
--CAD650 million 5.059% fixed/floating subordinated debentures due 2041 (Manulife Financial Corp. guarantor) 'BBB+'.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company
--Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) 'AA-';
--IDR 'A+';
--CAD550 million 4.21% fixed/floating subordinated debentures due 2021 (Manulife Financial Corp. guarantor) 'A-';
--CAD500 million 4.165% fixed/floating subordinated debentures due 2022 (Manulife Financial Corp. guarantor) 'A-';
--CAD200 million 2.819% fixed/floating subordinated debentures due 2023 (Manulife Financial Corp. guarantor) 'A-';
--CAD250 million 2.926% fixed/floating subordinated debentures due 2023 (Manulife Financial Corp. guarantor) 'A-';
--CAD500 million 2.811% fixed/floating subordinated debentures due 2024 (Manulife Financial Corp. guarantor) 'A-';
--CAD500 million 2.64% fixed/floating subordinated debentures due 2025 (Manulife Financial Corp. guarantor) 'A-'.

John Hancock Life Insurance Co (U.S.A.)
--IFS 'AA-';
--IDR 'A+';
--USD450 million surplus notes 7.375% due 2024 'A'.

The John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York
--IFS 'AA-'.

John Hancock Life & Health Insurance Company
--IFS 'AA-'.

John Hancock Global Funding II
--Global MTN program 'AA-'.