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Addicted to Ratings: The Case for Reducing Governments’ Reliance on Credit Ratings

Author

Listed:
  • Philippe Bergevin

    (C.D. Howe Institute)

Abstract

Credit rating agencies have been blamed for their role in the recent financial crisis, notably for having assigned high ratings to complex financial instruments that yielded billions in losses to investors. As a consequence, a number of reforms have been proposed or introduced – including for example increased disclosure of rating methodologies. This Backgrounder argues that reducing the government use of credit ratings may be the single most important step towards restoring the credibility and integrity of rating agencies.

Suggested Citation

  • Philippe Bergevin, 2010. "Addicted to Ratings: The Case for Reducing Governments’ Reliance on Credit Ratings," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 130, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdh:backgr:130
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Donald N. Dewees, 2010. "The Price Isn't Right: The Need for Reform in Consumer Electricity Pricing," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 124, January.
    2. Philippe Bergevin, 2010. "Change is in the Cards: Competition in the Canadian Debit Card Market," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 125, February.
    3. John Stapleton, 2010. "Down but Not Out: Reforming Social Assistance Rules that Punish the Poor for Saving," e-briefs 93, C.D. Howe Institute.
    4. William B.P. Robson, 2010. "Cutting Through Pension Complexity: Easy Steps Forward for the 2010 Federal Budget," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 126, February.
    5. Michael Parkin, 2010. "How Soon? How Fast? Interest Rates and Other Monetary Policy Decisions in 2010," e-briefs 92, C.D. Howe Institute.
    6. Pierre Siklos, 2010. "Taking Monetary Aggregates Seriously," e-briefs 94, C.D. Howe Institute.
    7. Philippe Bergevin & David Laidler, 2010. "Room for Manoeuvre – Monetary Policy Over the Next Eighteen Months, and the Allure of Price-Level Targeting," e-briefs 97, C.D. Howe Institute.
    8. William B.P. Robson & Colin Busby, 2010. "Freeing up Food: The Ongoing Cost, and Potential Reform, of Supply Management," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 128, April.
    9. Darren J. Kisgen & Philip E. Strahan, 2010. "Do Regulations Based on Credit Ratings Affect a Firm's Cost of Capital?," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(12), pages 4324-4347, December.
    10. David Johnson, 2007. "School Grades: Identifying Alberta’s Best Public Schools," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 104, September.
    11. Lawson A.W. Hunter, Q.C. & Edward Iacobucci & Michael J. Trebilcock, 2010. "Scrambled Signals: Canadian Content Policies in a World of Technological Abundance," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 301, January.
    12. Alexandre Laurin & William B.P. Robson & Colin Busby & Finn Poschmann, 2010. "Back to Balance: A Shadow Federal Budget for 2010," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 127, February.
    13. Henning Bjornlund, 2010. "The Competition for Water: Striking a Balance among Social, Environmental, and Economic Needs," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 302, April.
    14. Darren J. Kisgen & Philip E. Strahan, 2009. "Do Regulations Based on Credit Ratings Affect a Firm's Cost of Capital?," NBER Working Papers 14890, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Colin Busby, 2010. "Manitoba’s Demographic Challenge: Why Improving Aboriginal Education Outcomes Is Vital for Economic Prosperity," e-briefs 99, C.D. Howe Institute.
    16. Colin Busby, 2010. "Supporting Employees who Deploy: The Case for Financial Assistance to Employers of Military Reservists," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 123, January.
    17. Martin Cave & Adrian Foster, 2010. "Solving Spectrum Gridlock: Reforms to Liberalize Radio Spectrum Management in Canada in the Face of Growing Scarcity," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 303, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Lawrence L. Herman, 2010. "Trend Spotting: NAFTA Disputes After Fifteen Years," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 133, July.
    2. Benjamin Dachis & Robert Hebdon, 2010. "The Laws of Unintended Consequence: The Effect of Labour Legislation on Wages and Strikes," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 304, June.
    3. Bob Baldwin & Brian FitzGerald, 2010. "Seeking Certainty in Uncertain Times: A Review of Recent Government-Sponsored Studies on the Regulation of Canadian Pension Plans," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 310, September.
    4. Clyde Goodlet, 2010. "Too Big to Fail: A Misguided Policy in Times of Financial Turmoil," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 311, October.
    5. John Richards, 2010. "Reducing Lone-Parent Poverty: A Canadian Success Story," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 305, June.
    6. Deena Zaidi, 2015. "Eurozone Debt Crisis and Regulation of Credit Rating Agencies," Global Credit Review (GCR), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 5(01), pages 99-111.
    7. Benjamin Dachis, 2010. "Picking up Savings: The Benefits of Competition in Municipal Waste Services," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 308, September.
    8. Jan Carr, 2010. "Power Sharing: Developing Inter-Provincial Electricity Trade," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 306, July.
    9. Dave Sawyer & Carolyn Fischer, 2010. "Better Together? The Implications of Linking Canada-US Greenhouse Gas Policies," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 307, August.
    10. repec:mth:ijafr8:v:9:y:2019:i:1:p:209-228 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Finn Poschmann, 2014. "Shareholder Liability: A New (Old) Way of Thinking about Financial Regulation," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 401, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial Services; credit-rating agencies (CRAs); third party credit risk assessment; nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs);
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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