IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jrisks/v9y2021i12p226-d702134.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

ESG as a Measure of Credit Ratings

Author

Listed:
  • Patrycja Chodnicka-Jaworska

    (Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw, 02-678 Warsaw, Poland)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) measures on credit ratings given to non-financial institutions by the largest credit rating agencies according to economic sector divisions. The hypotheses were as follows: a strong negative impact on non-financial institutions’ credit rating changes will result from ESG risk changes, and the reaction of credit rating changes will vary in different sectors. Panel event models were used to verify these hypotheses. The study used data from the Thomson Reuters Database for the period 2010–2020. The analysis was based on the literature on credit rating determinants and on papers and reports on COVID-19, ESG factors, and their impact on credit rating changes. Linear decomposition was used for the analysis. To verify these hypotheses, long-term issuer credit ratings presented by Moody’s and Fitch for European companies listed on these stock exchanges have been used. In the analyses, financial and non-financial factors were also considered. The results suggested that, within the last year, the methodology presented by credit rating agencies has changed, and ESG factors are one of the basic measures that are used to verify credit rating changes, especially those related to the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrycja Chodnicka-Jaworska, 2021. "ESG as a Measure of Credit Ratings," Risks, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-26, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jrisks:v:9:y:2021:i:12:p:226-:d:702134
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9091/9/12/226/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9091/9/12/226/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fayez Elayan & Wei Hsu & Thomas Meyer, 2003. "The informational content of credit rating announcements for share prices in a small market," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 27(3), pages 337-356, September.
    2. Fatemi, Ali & Glaum, Martin & Kaiser, Stefanie, 2018. "ESG performance and firm value: The moderating role of disclosure," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 45-64.
    3. Ederington, Louis H, 1985. "Classification Models and Bond Ratings," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 20(4), pages 237-262, November.
    4. Jorion, Philippe & Liu, Zhu & Shi, Charles, 2005. "Informational effects of regulation FD: evidence from rating agencies," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 309-330, May.
    5. Huang, Guihai & Song, Frank M., 2006. "The determinants of capital structure: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 14-36.
    6. Daniels, Kenneth & Diro Ejara, Demissew & Vijayakumar, Jayaraman, 2009. "An empirical analysis of the determinants and pricing of corporate bond clawbacks," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 431-446, September.
    7. Gunnar Friede & Timo Busch & Alexander Bassen, 2015. "ESG and financial performance: aggregated evidence from more than 2000 empirical studies," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(4), pages 210-233, October.
    8. Kuldeep Kumar & Sukanto Bhattacharya, 2006. "Artificial neural network vs linear discriminant analysis in credit ratings forecast: A comparative study of prediction performances," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 5(3), pages 216-227, August.
    9. Deesomsak, Rataporn & Paudyal, Krishna & Pescetto, Gioia, 2004. "The determinants of capital structure: evidence from the Asia Pacific region," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 14(4-5), pages 387-405.
    10. Andreas Hoepner & Ioannis Oikonomou & Bert Scholtens & Michael Schröder, 2016. "The Effects of Corporate and Country Sustainability Characteristics on The Cost of Debt: An International Investigation," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1-2), pages 158-190, January.
    11. Thomas Mählmann, 2011. "Is There a Relationship Benefit in Credit Ratings?," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 15(3), pages 475-510.
    12. Sudheer Chava & Dmitry Livdan & Amiyatosh Purnanandam, 2009. "Do Shareholder Rights Affect the Cost of Bank Loans?," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 22(8), pages 2973-3004, August.
    13. Amato, Jeffery D. & Furfine, Craig H., 2004. "Are credit ratings procyclical?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(11), pages 2641-2677, November.
    14. Mike Adams & Bruce Burton & Philip Hardwick, 2003. "The Determinants of Credit Ratings in the United Kingdom Insurance Industry," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3-4), pages 539-572.
    15. Raja Bouzluita & Arthur J. Young, 1998. "A Probit Analysis of Best Ratings," Journal of Insurance Issues, Western Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 21(1), pages 23-34.
    16. Carl Benedikt Frey, 2013. "Intellectual Property Rights and the Financing of Technological Innovation," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 15365.
    17. Sudheer Chava, 2014. "Environmental Externalities and Cost of Capital," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(9), pages 2223-2247, September.
    18. Opler, Tim & Pinkowitz, Lee & Stulz, Rene & Williamson, Rohan, 1999. "The determinants and implications of corporate cash holdings," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 3-46, April.
    19. Yung-Ming Shiu & Shou-Lin Yang, 2017. "Does engagement in corporate social responsibility provide strategic insurance-like effects?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(2), pages 455-470, February.
    20. Giannetti, Mariassunta, 2003. "Do Better Institutions Mitigate Agency Problems? Evidence from Corporate Finance Choices," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 38(1), pages 185-212, March.
    21. Chen, Jean J., 2004. "Determinants of capital structure of Chinese-listed companies," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 57(12), pages 1341-1351, December.
    22. Xianfeng Jiang & Frank Packer, 2017. "Credit ratings of domestic and global agencies: What drives the differences in China and how are they priced?," BIS Working Papers 648, Bank for International Settlements.
    23. Apostolos Dasilas & Nicolas Papasyriopoulos, 2015. "Corporate governance, credit ratings and the capital structure of Greek SME and large listed firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 215-244, June.
    24. Gregory D. Kane & Frederick M. Richardson & Patricia Graybeal, 1996. "Recession†Induced Stress and the Prediction of Corporate Failure," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(2), pages 631-650, September.
    25. Kim, Yongtae & Li, Haidan & Li, Siqi, 2014. "Corporate social responsibility and stock price crash risk," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 1-13.
    26. Scalzer, Rodrigo S. & Rodrigues, Adriano & Macedo, Marcelo Álvaro da S. & Wanke, Peter, 2019. "Financial distress in electricity distributors from the perspective of Brazilian regulation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 250-259.
    27. Grunert, Jens & Norden, Lars & Weber, Martin, 2005. "The role of non-financial factors in internal credit ratings," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 509-531, February.
    28. Kim, Yoonseong & Sohn, So Young, 2008. "Random effects model for credit rating transitions," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 184(2), pages 561-573, January.
    29. Goss, Allen & Roberts, Gordon S., 2011. "The impact of corporate social responsibility on the cost of bank loans," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1794-1810, July.
    30. Cellier, Alexis & Chollet, Pierre, 2016. "The effects of social ratings on firm value," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 656-683.
    31. Mike Adams & Bruce Burton & Philip Hardwick, 2003. "The Determinants of Credit Ratings in the United Kingdom Insurance Industry," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3‐4), pages 539-572, April.
    32. Pierre Chollet & Alexis Cellier, 2014. "The effects of social ratings on firm value," Post-Print hal-02089028, HAL.
    33. Mateev, Miroslav & Poutziouris, Panikkos & Ivanov, Konstantin, 2013. "On the determinants of SME capital structure in Central and Eastern Europe: A dynamic panel analysis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 28-51.
    34. Karl V. Lins & Henri Servaes & Ane Tamayo, 2017. "Social Capital, Trust, and Firm Performance: The Value of Corporate Social Responsibility during the Financial Crisis," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 72(4), pages 1785-1824, August.
    35. Kaplan, Robert S & Urwitz, Gabriel, 1979. "Statistical Models of Bond Ratings: A Methodological Inquiry," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 52(2), pages 231-261, April.
    36. G. Ferri & L.-G. Liu & J. E. Stiglitz, 1999. "The Procyclical Role of Rating Agencies: Evidence from the East Asian Crisis," Economic Notes, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA, vol. 28(3), pages 335-355, November.
    37. Siti Nuryanah & Sardar M. N. Islam, 2015. "Corporate Governance and Financial Management," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-137-43561-3, October.
    38. Elisa Choy & Stephen Gray & Vanitha Ragunathan, 2006. "Effect of credit rating changes on Australian stock returns," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 46(5), pages 755-769, December.
    39. Daines, Robert M. & Gow, Ian D. & Larcker, David F., 2010. "Rating the ratings: How good are commercial governance ratings?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(3), pages 439-461, December.
    40. Alexis Cellier & Pierre Chollet, 2016. "The effects of social ratings on firm value," Post-Print hal-02009558, HAL.
    41. Matthies, Alexander B., 2013. "Empirical research on corporate credit-ratings: A literature review," SFB 649 Discussion Papers 2013-003, Humboldt University Berlin, Collaborative Research Center 649: Economic Risk.
    42. Luis Perez-Batres & Jonathan Doh & Van Miller & Michael Pisani, 2012. "Stakeholder Pressures as Determinants of CSR Strategic Choice: Why do Firms Choose Symbolic Versus Substantive Self-Regulatory Codes of Conduct?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 110(2), pages 157-172, October.
    43. Jae-Joon Han & Hyun Jeong Kim & Jeongmin Yu, 2016. "Empirical study on relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance in Korea," Asian Journal of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 61-76, December.
    44. Cantor, Richard & Packer, Frank, 1997. "Differences of opinion and selection bias in the credit rating industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 21(10), pages 1395-1417, October.
    45. de Jong, A., 1999. "An empirical analysis of capital structure decisions in Dutch firms," Other publications TiSEM b9498b3e-2937-4e4c-b951-a, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    46. Shyam-Sunder, Lakshmi & C. Myers, Stewart, 1999. "Testing static tradeoff against pecking order models of capital structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 219-244, February.
    47. Paul C. Godfrey & Craig B. Merrill & Jared M. Hansen, 2009. "The relationship between corporate social responsibility and shareholder value: an empirical test of the risk management hypothesis," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 425-445, April.
    48. A.K. Sharma & Satish Kumar, 2011. "Effect of Working Capital Management on Firm Profitability," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 12(1), pages 159-173, February.
    49. Vivake Anand & Kamran Ahmed Soomro & Suneel Kumar Solanki, 2016. "Determinants of Credit Rating and Optimal Capital Structure among Pakistani Banks," Romanian Economic Journal, Department of International Business and Economics from the Academy of Economic Studies Bucharest, vol. 19(60), pages 169-182, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Apergis, Nicholas & Poufinas, Thomas & Antonopoulos, Alexandros, 2022. "ESG scores and cost of debt," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    2. Izabella Lecka & Janusz Gudowski & Tomasz Wołowiec, 2022. "CSR in Poland and the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in the Energy Sector during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-25, September.
    3. Reyes Samaniego-Medina & Pilar Giraldez-Puig, 2022. "Do Sustainability Risks Affect Credit Ratings? Evidence from European Banks," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 24(61), pages 720-720, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jaspreet Kaur & Madhu Vij & Ajay Kumar Chauhan, 2023. "Signals influencing corporate credit ratings—a systematic literature review," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 50(1), pages 91-114, March.
    2. ManYing Kang & Marcel Ausloos, 2017. "An Inverse Problem Study: Credit Risk Ratings as a Determinant of Corporate Governance and Capital Structure in Emerging Markets: Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies," Papers 1712.00602, arXiv.org.
    3. Li, WeiWei & Padmanabhan, Prasad & Huang, Chia-Hsing, 2024. "ESG and debt structure: Is the nature of this relationship nonlinear?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    4. Alain Devalle & Simona Fiandrino & Valter Cantino, 2017. "The Linkage between ESG Performance and Credit Ratings: A Firm-Level Perspective Analysis," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(9), pages 1-53, August.
    5. Rubina Shaheen & Attiya Yasmin Javid, 2014. "Effect of Credit Rating on Firm Performance and Stock Return; Evidence form KSE Listed Firms," PIDE-Working Papers 2014:104, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
    6. ManYing Kang & Marcel Ausloos, 2017. "An Inverse Problem Study: Credit Risk Ratings as a Determinant of Corporate Governance and Capital Structure in Emerging Markets: Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies," Economies, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-23, November.
    7. Hans B. Christensen & Luzi Hail & Christian Leuz, 2021. "Mandatory CSR and sustainability reporting: economic analysis and literature review," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1176-1248, September.
    8. Matthies, Alexander B., 2013. "Empirical research on corporate credit-ratings: A literature review," SFB 649 Discussion Papers 2013-003, Humboldt University Berlin, Collaborative Research Center 649: Economic Risk.
    9. Shih, Yi-Cheng & Wang, Yao & Zhong, Rui & Ma, Yi-Ming, 2021. "Corporate environmental responsibility and default risk: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    10. Paolo Capelli & Federica Ielasi & Angeloantonio Russo, 2021. "Forecasting volatility by integrating financial risk with environmental, social, and governance risk," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(5), pages 1483-1495, September.
    11. Alves, Carlos Francisco & Meneses, Lilian Lima, 2024. "ESG scores and debt costs: Exploring indebtedness, agency costs, and financial system impact," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    12. Maretno A. Harjoto & Andreas G. F. Hoepner & Marcus A. Nilsson, 2022. "Bondholders’ returns and stakeholders’ interests," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 59(4), pages 1271-1301, November.
    13. Dunbar, Craig & Li, Zhichuan (Frank) & Shi, Yaqi, 2020. "CEO risk-taking incentives and corporate social responsibility," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    14. Zhang, Yanlei & García Lara, Juan Manuel & Tribó, Josep A., 2020. "Unpacking the black box of trade credit to socially responsible customers," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    15. Othar Kordsachia, 2021. "A risk management perspective on CSR and the marginal cost of debt: empirical evidence from Europe," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(6), pages 1611-1643, August.
    16. Hassan, M. Kabir & Chiaramonte, Laura & Dreassi, Alberto & Paltrinieri, Andrea & Piserà, Stefano, 2023. "Equity costs and risks in emerging markets: Are ESG and Sharia principles complementary?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    17. Florez-Lopez, Raquel, 2007. "Modelling of insurers' rating determinants. An application of machine learning techniques and statistical models," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 183(3), pages 1488-1512, December.
    18. Champagne, Claudia & Coggins, Frank & Sodjahin, Amos, 2022. "Can extra-financial ratings serve as an indicator of ESG risk?," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    19. Ferriani, Fabrizio, 2023. "Issuing bonds during the Covid-19 pandemic: Was there an ESG premium?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    20. Goldmann, Leonie & Crook, Jonathan & Calabrese, Raffaella, 2024. "A new ordinal mixed-data sampling model with an application to corporate credit rating levels," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 314(3), pages 1111-1126.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jrisks:v:9:y:2021:i:12:p:226-:d:702134. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.