This Palgrave Pivot aims to examine the bourgeoning relationship between the Principles for Responsible Investment and the Credit Rating Industry. Since May of 2016, when the partnership was initially publicised, the PRI have endeavoured to incorporate Credit Rating Agencies into its initiative via its ‘ESG in Credit Ratings Initiative’, and have been working diligently to find, and create common ground between Credit Rating Agencies and Institutional Investors seeking to be more forward-looking in their investment approaches. However, in recent years the ‘Big Two’ Credit Rating Agencies – Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s – have finally received record fines for their conduct in the run-up to the Financial Crisis. There is a need, then, to examine the incorporation of the Credit Rating Agencies into such a progressive initiative. To achieve this objective, this book examines the field of ‘responsible investing’, the credit rating industry, and the power dynamic that exists between the rating industry, investors, and the PRI (via its ‘Initiative’).
Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject Economics - Finance, , course: Bank Financial Management, language: English, abstract: This report is examining the role of credit rating agencies and in further details arguments in its favor and against its favor are examined. In the beginning the role of credit rating agencies is defined and later methodological approaches to this topic are discussed, and afterwards, an analysis of pros and cons of credit rating agencies is conducted. To the end recommendations and suggestions to credit rating agencies for better performances are listed. Generally, credit rating agencies are playing vital role in markets and they united dispersed information comprehensively. Through this approach it is easier for investors or issuers to understand the real position of different concerns before taking any final decisions, beside this fact it is also in observation that credit rating agencies have some flaws which need to be addressed, like favoritism and unsolicited credit rating issuance. It is recommended to have transparency, scheduled active ratings and strict follow up with regulated authorities.
Essay from the year 2008 in the subject Business economics - Investment and Finance, grade: 2,2, European Business School - International University Schlo Reichartshausen Oestrich-Winkel, course: Introduction to Investment Banking, language: English, abstract: "There are two superpowers in the world ...] the United States and Moody's Bond Rating Service" - Thomas L. Friedman, NY Times The above statement by Thomas L. Friedman accentuates the importance of credit rating agencies (CRAs) in modern financial markets. As the past months have shown, Friedman's statement has held especially true for the role of CRAs in the structured finance market, where CRAs are currently being made responsible for playing an integral role in the emergence of one of the biggest financial crises of mankind: the subprime crisis. The role and the importance of CRAs in the structured finance market is the central topic of the following paper. To fully understand the impact of this issue on the worldwide financial markets, it is interesting to shed some light onto the dimensions of the structured finance market. The market is of considerable size given that outstanding structured finance securities in the United States amounted to 7.3 trillion US dollars in 2005 (Nomura, 2005) and have now grown to 9 trillion US dollars, which is more than two thirds of the United States GDP of 13.1 trillion US dollars in 2007 (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, BEA, 2007). More-over, these outstanding structured finance securities represent more than 30% of the total outstandings in the U.S. bond markets (Nomura, 2005). As these figure reveal, it is not surprising that complications in the core of the huge market of structured finance could potentially lead to a major destabilisation of the entire worldwide financial markets; a risk that was obviously underestimated for a long time and finally lead to the genesis of the sub-prime crisis. The role of CRAs in the structured finance market has long been debat
Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Financial Services. Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises
This title is a guide to ratings, the ratings industry, and the mechanics and economics of obtaining a rating. It sheds light on the role that the agencies play in the international financial markets.
Seminar paper from the year 2019 in the subject Business economics - Investment and Finance, , language: English, abstract: The objective of this seminar paper is to illuminate the work and role of credit rating agencies in the global financial system and to explain and understand the general criticism directed at them. In addition, their special part in the subprime crisis of 2008 will be analysed and an estimation will be made of how much responsibility they bear in the crisis.
Bachelor Thesis from the year 2010 in the subject Economics - International Economic Relations, grade: 2.0, University of Osnabrück, language: English, abstract: To understand the roots of the capital markets and the rating agencies I want to start this Bachelor Thesis with a historical development. With introduction of the Issuer Pays Model and the proclamation of so called NRSROs there is the starting point for a long time discussion within the credit rating industry. Then I want to introduce the case of Enron, a former energy conglomerate which has been wrongly rated by the rating agencies. I want to investigate if there are any parallels to the crisis of 2007. I also want to understand and show the reasons and the structure of the crisis of 2007. So I will introduce the Subprime market and structured finance, as these topics were probably the triggers for the crisis. The main part of my thesis is to find an explanation for the performance of the credit rating agencies. I use a theoretical model which stresses the complexity of assets. The model says that the more complex an asset is, the harder it is to rate for the agencies. In opposite to that I want to compare the results of the theoretical model with an empirical study. I want to investigate if the theoretical model gets the same result as the empirical approach or if there are huge differences. At last I want to introduce some solution proposals by myself and think about further approaches.
Credit rating agencies play a critical role in capital markets, guiding the asset allocation of institutional investors as private capital moves freely around the world in search of the best trade-off between risk and return. However, they have also been strongly criticised for failing to spot the Asian crisis in the early 1990s, the Enron, WorldCom and Parmalat collapses in the early 2000s and finally for their ratings of subprime-related structured finance instruments and their role in the current financial crisis. This book is a guide to ratings, the ratings industry and the mechanics and economics of obtaining a rating. It sheds light on the role that the agencies play in the international financial markets. It avoids the sensationalist approach often associated with studies of rating scandals and the financial crisis, and instead provides an objective and critical analysis of the business of ratings. The book will be of practical use to any individual who has to deal with ratings and the ratings industry in their day-to-day job. Reviews "Rating agencies fulfil an important role in the capital markets, but given their power, they are frequently the object of criticism. Some of it is justified but most of it portrays a lack of understanding of their business. In their book The Rating Agencies and their Credit Ratings, Herwig and Patricia Langohr provide an excellent economic background to the role of rating agencies and also a thorough understanding of their business and the problems they face. I recommend this book to all those who have an interest in this somewhat arcane but extremely important area." -Robin Monro-Davies, Former CEO, Fitch Ratings. "At a time of unprecedented public and political scrutiny of the effectiveness and indeed the basic business model of the Credit Rating industry, and heightened concerns regarding the transparency and accountability of the leading agencies, this book provides a commendably comprehensive overview, and should provide invaluable assistance in the ongoing debate." -Rupert Atkinson, Managing Director, Head of Credit Advisory Group, Morgan Stanley and member of the SIFMA Rating Agency Task Force "The Langohrs have provided useful information in a field where one frequently finds only opinions or misconceptions. They supply a firm base from which to understand changes now underway. A well-read copy of this monograph should be close to the desk of every investor, issuer and financial regulator, legislator or commentator." -John Grout, Policy and Technical Director, The Association of Corporate Treasurers
Ratings, Rating Agencies and the Global Financial System brings together the research of economists at New York University and the University of Maryland, along with those from the private sector, government bodies, and other universities. The first section of the volume focuses on the historical origins of the credit rating business and its present day industrial organization structure. The second section presents several empirical studies crafted largely around individual firm-level or bank-level data. These studies examine (a) the relationship between ratings and the default and recovery experience of corporate borrowers, (b) the comparability of credit ratings made by domestic and foreign rating agencies, and (c) the usefulness of financial market indicators for rating banks, among other topics. In the third section, the record of sovereign credit ratings in predicting financial crises and the reaction of financial markets to changes in credit ratings is examined. The final section of the volume emphasizes policy issues now facing regulators and credit rating agencies.
Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject Economics - Finance, grade: 1.3, Berlin School of Economics and Law, language: English, abstract: After the Asian crisis during the 1990s and the startling insolvencies of Enron and Parmalat, the recent financial crisis is one the most important trigger to raise doubt concerning the proper work of rating agencies. They are criticized because of their various conflicts of interest and obvious deficits in practicing their rating methods. The rating agencies should be jointly responsible for the emergence of the so-called bubble markets during the last couple of years. Because of these bubbles and their boom and burst effect, private as well as institutional investors lost enormous sums of assets and single countries were thrown into financial turmoil. Because of these facts, the discontent concerning the rating agencies grew. People took additional notice of their market power, which they only obtained because of their influence on the global capital flows and the use of ratings to regulate the financial markets. To particularize the issues, it is helpful to bring up the year 2007, when the delayed payments among the subprime loans became more frequent. This was due to the slower increase of the housing prices and the rising short-termed interest. Consequently, the rating agencies depreciated a lot of these structured financial products, many of which had received the highest seal of quality before (AAA). Those actions both led to a massive loss of confidence on the investors' side and a remarkable decline of liquidity. The former market of securitization products no longer existed. Influenced by this development and because they were considerable involved in this securitization business, a lot of banks also got into this downstream. In the first part of this term paper I will present some general facts about the rating agencies including their history of origins. Afterwards I will mention the process of rating and th
