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Understanding credit ratings quality: Evidence from UK debt market participants

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  • Duff, Angus
  • Einig, Sandra

Abstract

This study seeks to identify: (i) the demand for corporate bond ratings provided by credit ratings agencies (CRAs); (ii) how issuers select CRAs; and (iii) to better understand ratings quality, a term widely used by commentators, politicians and regulators, but under-explored in the academic literature. Interviews identify the principal source of demand for rating information is to reduce agency conflicts between issuers and investors. Issuers typically engage between one and three credit ratings agencies to rate their debt, implying a heterogeneous demand for ratings services, and different levels of ratings quality. However, ratings quality extends beyond competence and independence to include factors relating to professional judgment, communication, transparency, and the quality and continuity of analytic staff. Findings were discussed in the light of the ongoing international policy debate concerning CRAs.

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  • Duff, Angus & Einig, Sandra, 2009. "Understanding credit ratings quality: Evidence from UK debt market participants," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 107-119.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:bracre:v:41:y:2009:i:2:p:107-119
    DOI: 10.1016/j.bar.2009.02.001
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    2. Salvador, Carlos & Pastor, Jose Manuel & Fernández de Guevara, Juan, 2014. "Impact of the subprime crisis on bank ratings: The effect of the hardening of rating policies and worsening of solvency," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 11(C), pages 13-31.
    3. Vassili Joannides & Nicolas Berland & D. T. Wickramasinghe, 2010. "Post-Hofstede diversity/cultural studies: what contributions to accounting knowledge?," Post-Print hal-00676570, HAL.
    4. Monica DUDIAN, 2010. "Rating Agencies on the International Financial Market: an Approach in Terms of the Transaction Cost Economy," Timisoara Journal of Economics, West University of Timisoara, Romania, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 3(3(11)), pages 139-146.
    5. Alsakka, Rasha & ap Gwilym, Owain, 2012. "Foreign exchange market reactions to sovereign credit news," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 845-864.
    6. Vassili Joannides & Nicolas Berland & Danture Wickramasinghe, 2010. "Post-Hofstede diversity/cultural studies: what contributions to accounting knowledge?," Post-Print hal-01661685, HAL.
    7. Steven Scalet & Thomas Kelly, 2012. "The Ethics of Credit Rating Agencies: What Happened and the Way Forward," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 111(4), pages 477-490, December.
    8. Abad, Pilar & Ferreras, Rodrigo & Robles, M-Dolores, 2019. "Informational role of rating revisions after reputational events and regulation reforms," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 91-103.
    9. Lu Wei & Chen Han & Yinhong Yao, 2022. "The Bias Analysis of Oil and Gas Companies’ Credit Ratings Based on Textual Risk Disclosures," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-12, March.
    10. Ngene, Geoffrey M. & Lee Kim, Yea & Wang, Jinghua, 2019. "Who poisons the pool? Time-varying asymmetric and nonlinear causal inference between low-risk and high-risk bonds markets," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 136-147.
    11. Alsakka, Rasha & ap Gwilym, Owain, 2010. "Leads and lags in sovereign credit ratings," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(11), pages 2614-2626, November.
    12. Vassili Joannides & Nicolas Berland & D. T. Wickramasinghe, 2010. "Post-Hofstede diversity/cultural studies: what contributions to accounting knowledge?," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) hal-00676570, HAL.
    13. Smyth, Stewart & Cole, Ian & Fields, Desiree, 2020. "From gatekeepers to gateway constructors: Credit rating agencies and the financialisation of housing associations," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    14. Kiesel, F., 2016. "The effect of credit and rating events on credit default swap and equity markets," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 81247, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    15. Faiza Sajjad & Muhammad Zakaria, 2018. "Credit Rating as a Mechanism for Capital Structure Optimization: Empirical Evidence from Panel Data Analysis," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-14, January.
    16. Vassili Joannides & Nicolas Berland & Danture Wickramasinghe, 2010. "Post-Hofstede diversity/cultural studies: what contributions to accounting knowledge?," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) hal-01661685, HAL.
    17. Ibrahim Fatnassi & Zied Ftiti & Habib Hasnaoui, 2014. "Stock Market Reactions to Sovereign Credit Rating Changes: Evidence from Four European Countries," Working Papers 2014-111, Department of Research, Ipag Business School.
    18. Al-Sakka, Rasha & ap Gwilym, Owain, 2010. "Split sovereign ratings and rating migrations in emerging economies," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 11(2), pages 79-97, June.
    19. Kiesel, Florian, 2016. "The effect of credit and rating events on credit default swap and equity markets," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 81265, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    20. Kiesel, F., 2016. "Do Investors Still Rely on Credit Rating Agencies? Evidence from the Financial Crisis," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 77927, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    21. Uslu Çağrı L., 2017. "Examining the Behavior of Credit Rating Agencies Post 2008 Economic Turmoil," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 53(4), pages 61-76, December.

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