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INTRODUCTION
Objective:
The objective of this study is to find out (a) the need of credit rating (b) how the
credit rating agencies function (c) the limitations of credit rating. An analysis of
credit rating is also included in the study.
The doctrine of “efficient market allocation” in fact has as its bedrock, what
economists label “ perfect information”. An investor in search of investment
avenues has recourse to various sources of information- offer documents of the
issuer(s), research reports of market intermediaries, media reports etc. In addition
to these sources, Credit Rating Agencies have come to occupy a pivotal role as
information providers, particularly for credit related opinions in respect of debt
instruments; a role that has been strengthened by the perception that their opinions
are independent, objective, well researched and credible.
The impetus for the growth of Credit Rating came from the high levels of default
in the US Capital markets after the Great Depression. Further impetus for growth
came when regulatory agencies began to stipulate that institutions such as
Government Pension Funds and Insurance Companies could not buy securities
rated below a particular grade.
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instruments. The other factors leading to the growing importance of the credit
rating system in many parts of the world over the last two decades are
It was this growing demand on rating services that enabled credit rating agencies to
charge issuers for their services. This was much in variance with the mode of
financing used hitherto-with no fees charged to the issuers, a credit rating agency
used to provide rating information through the sale of their publication and other
materials.
The origins of credit rating can be traced to the 1840’s. Following the financial
crisis of 1837, Louis Tappan established the first mercantile credit agency in New
York in 1841. The agency rated the ability of merchants to pay their financial
obligations. It was subsequently acquired by Robert Dun and its first rating guide
was published in 1859. Another similar agency was set up by John Bradstreet in
1849, which published a ratings book in 1857. These two agencies were merged
together to form Dun & Bradstreet in 1933, which became the owner of Moody’s
Investors Service in 1962. The history of Moody’s Investors Service, and in 1909
published his ‘Manual of Railroad Securities’. This was followed by the rating of
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utility and industrial bonds in 1914, and the rating of bonds issued by U.S cities
and other municipalities in the early 1920s.
Further expansion of the credit rating industry took place in 1916, when the Poor’s
Publishing Company published its first ratings, followed by the Standard Statistics
Company in 1922, and Fitch Publishing Company in 1924. The Standard Statistics
Company and the Poor’s Publishing company merged in 1941 to form Standard &
Poor’s.
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process is itself based on certain ‘givens.’ The agency, for instance, does not
perform an audit . Instead It is required to rely on information provided by the
issuer and collected by analysts from different sources, including interactions in-
person with various entities. Consequently, the agency does not guarantee the
completeness or accuracy of the information on which the rating is based.
By Investors
For the investor, the rating is an information service , communicating the relative
ranking of the default loss probability for a given fixed income investment in
comparison with other rated instruments. In the absence of a credit rating system ,
the risk perception of a common investor vis-à-vis debt instruments largely
depends on his/her familiarity with the names of the promoters or the
collaborators. Such “name recognition”, often used to evaluate credit quality in the
underdeveloped markets can not be an effective surrogate for systematic risk
evaluation ; it suffers from a number of avoidable limitations it is not true that
every venture promoted by a well known name will be successful and free from
default risk. Nor is it true that every venture promoted by a relatively lesser known
entity is disproportionately risk prone. While on one hand , “name recognition “
restricts the options available to the investor, on the other it denies relatively lesser
known entrepreneurs access to a wider investor base. What is therefore required for
efficient allocation of resources is systematic risk evaluation. It is rarely, if ever,
feasible for the corporate issuer of debt instrument to offer every prospective
investor the opportunity to undertake a detailed risk evaluation. A professional
credit rating agency is equipped with the required skills, the competence and the
credibility, all of which eliminates, or at least minimizes, the role of ‘name
recognition’ and replaces it with well researched and scientifically analysed
opinions as to the relative ranking of different debt instruments in terms of their
credit quality. A rating provided by a professional credit rating agency is of
significance not just for the individual/small investor but also for an organized
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institutional investor. Rating for them provides a low cost supplement to their own
in-house appraisal system. Large investors may use credit rating spectrum of
investment options. Such investors could use the information provided by rating
changes, by carefully watching upgrades and downgrades and altering their
portfolio mix by operating in the secondary market. Banks in some developed
countries use the ratings of other banks and financial intermediaries for their
decisions regarding inter-bank lending, swap agreements and other counter-party
risks.
By Issuers
The benefit of credit rating for issuers stems from the faith placed by the market
on the opinions of the rating provided and the widespread use of ratings as a guide
for investment decisions. The issuers of rated securities are likely to have access to
a much wider investor base as compared to unrated securities , as a large section of
investors not having the required resources an skills to analyse each and every
investment opportunity would prefer to rely on the opinion of a rating agency.
The opinion of a rating agency enjoying investor confidence could enable the
issuers of highly rated instruments to access the market even under adverse market
conditions. Credit rating provides a basis for determining the additional
return( over and above a risk free return) which investors must get in order to be
compensated for the additional risk that they bear. They could be a useful
benchmark for issue pricing.
The differential in pricing would lead to significant cost savings for highly rated
instruments.
By Intermediaries
Rating is a useful tool for merchant bankers and other capital market
intermediaries in the process of planning, pricing, underwriting and placement of
issues. The intermediaries, like brokers and dealers in securities, could use rating
as an input for their monitoring of risk exposures. Regulators in some countries
specify capital adequacy rules linked to credit rating of securities in a portfolio.
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By Regulators
In India , credit rating has been made mandatory for issuance of the following
instruments:
c) as per the guidelines of RBI , NBFCs having net owned funds of more
than Rs. 2 crore must get their fixed deposit programmes rated by 31st
March 1995 and the NBFCs having net owned funds of more than Rs
50 lacs(but less than 2 crore) must get their fixed deposit programme
rated by 31st March 1996. The minimum rating required by the NBFCs
to be eligible to raise fixed deposits are FA(-) from CRISIL/ MA(-)
from ICRA/BBB from CARE. Similar regulations have been introduced
by National Housing Bank(NHB) for housing finance companies also;
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1) A credit rating agency in the conduct of its business shall observe high
standards of integrity and fairness in all its dealings with its clients.
4) A credit rating agency shall avoid any conflict of interest of any member
of its rating committee participating in the rating analysis. Any potential
conflict of interest shall be disclosed to the client.
5) A credit rating agency shall not indulge in unfair competition nor shall
they wean away client of any other rating agency on assurance of higher
rating.
8) A credit rating agency shall not divulge to other clients, press or any
other party any confidential information about its clients, which has
come to its knowledge, without making disclosure to the concerned person
of the rated company/client.
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9) A credit rating agency shall not make untrue statement furnished to the
Board or to public or to stock exchange.
10) A credit rating agency shall not generally and particularly in respect of
issue of securities rated by it be party to—
12) A credit rating agency shall abide by the provisions of the Act,
regulations and circulars which may be applicable and relevant to the
activities carried on by the credit rating agency.
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METHODOLOGY
Objective:
The main objective of this study is to find out how the Credit Rating Agencies
function, how they rate the instruments. The factors, which matter in the rating
process is also included in this study.
The secondary objective of this study is to find out the challenges being faced by
the rating agencies and what is being done to face it.
Research Design:
Descriptive Research is used in this study. The nature of this study is such that it
eradicates the necessary of doing primary research. Research has been done from
secondary sources of information.
www.icraindia.com
www.crisil.com
www.businessstandard.com
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The rating coverage in India is not too old, beginning 1987 when the first rating
agency, CRISIL was established. At present there are three main rating agencies –
CRISIL(Credit Rating and Information Services of India Ltd.),ICRA Ltd.
(Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited) and
CARE(Credit Analysis and Research). The fourth rating agency is a JV between
Duff & Phelps, US and Alliance Capital Limited , Calcutta.
CRISIL:
Rating services cover rating of Debt instruments-long, medium and short term,
securitised assets and builders. Information services offer corporate research
reports and the CRISIL 500 index. The Infrastructure and consultancy division
provide assistance on specific sectors such as power, telecom and infrastructure
financing.
ICRA:
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ratings , etc. The information or the research desk provides research reports on
specific industries, sectors and corporates. The Information services also include
equity related services, viz, Equity Grading and Equity Assessment. In 1996,
ICRA entered into a strategic alliance with Financial Proforma Inc. , a Moody’s
subsidiary to offer services on Risk
Management Training and software: Moody’s and ICRA has entered into a
memorandum, of understanding to support these efforts.
CARE:
It was set up in 1992, promoted by IDBI jointly with other financial institutions,
nationalized and private sector finance companies. The services offered cover
rating of Debt instruments and sector specific industry reports from the research
desk and equity research.
Market share
11% 2%
CRISIL
48% ICRA
CARE
39%
Duff& Phelps
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Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs , vide its letter No. 1(120)
SE/89, dated the 19th Sept. 1990 accorded approval for the establishment of a
second Credit Rating and Information Agency in the country to meet the
requirements of companies based in North.
The major shareholders are:- Moody’s Investment Company India private Ltd.,
IFCI Ltd., SBI, LIC, UTI, PNB, GIC, Central Bank of India, Union Bank of India,
Allahabad Bank, United Bank of India, Indian Bank, Canara Bank, Andhra Bank ,
Export-Import Bank of India, UCO Bank HDFC Ltd., Infrastructure Leasing and
Financial Services Ltd., Vysya Bank.
The main objective of ICRA like any other Credit Rating Agency is to assess the
credit instrument and award it a grade consonant to the risk associated with such
instrument. ICRA’s main objectives include providing guidance to the
investors/creditors in determining the credit risk associated with a particular debt
instrument or credit obligation and reflecting independent, professional and
impartial assessment of such instruments/obligations. The ratings done by ICRA
are not recommendations to buy or sell securities but culminate symbolic indicator
of the current opinion of the relative capability of timely servicing of the debts and
obligations.
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RANGE OF SERVICES
RATING SERVICE
Credit Rating
The ICRA rating is a symbolic indicator of the current and prospective opinion on
the relative capability of the corporate entity concerned to timely service debts and
obligations with reference to the instrument rated. The rating is based on an
analysis of the information and clarifications obtained from the entity , as also
other sources considered reliable by ICRA. The independence and professional
approach of ICRA ensure reliable, consistent and unbiased ratings. Ratings
facilitate investors to factor credit risk in their investment decisions. ICRA rates
long-term, medium-term and short-term debt instruments. ICRA offers its rating
services to a wide range of issuers including:
Manufacturing companies
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Power companies
Service companies
Structured finance ratings (SFRs) are based on the estimation of the expected loss
to the investor on the rated instrument, under various possible scenarios. The
expected loss is defined as the product of probability of default and severity of
loss, once the default has occurred. An SFR symbol indicates the relative level of
expected loss for that instrument, with the risk of loss being similar as in the case
of a corporate credit rating of the same level. However, an SFR may be different
from the credit rating of the issuer as in many cases the transaction is structured as
an off-balance sheet item. ICRA’s four major SFR products are listed below. ICRA
employs a specific methodology for each of its SFR products. The methodology is
based on ICRA’s understanding of that particular asset class and the structured and
legal issues associated with the transaction involved.
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The Benefits
An issuer can derive multiple advantages from structured finance products like
lowering the cost of funds, accessing new markets and investors on the
strength of a higher rating vis-à-vis a stand-alone corporate credit rating,
improving capital adequacy, reducing asset-liability mismatches and
increasing specialization.
ICRA’s claims paying ability ratings (CPRs) for insurance companies are an
opinion on the ability of the insurers concerned to honour policy-holder claims and
obligations on time. In other words a CPR is ICRA’s opinion on the financial
strength of the insurer, from a policy-holder’s perspective. Following deregulation,
a paradigm shift is expected in the domestic insurance sector as newer players and
products enter the market. Given this scenario, ICRA expects its CPRs to be an
important input influencing the customer’s choice of insurance companies and
products. ICRA’s rating process involves analysis of an insurer’s business
fundamentals and its competitive position and focuses primarily on the insurer’s
franchise value, its management, organizational structure/ownership and
underwriting and investment strategies. Besides, the analysis includes an
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GRADING SERVICES
The grading services of ICRA include
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ICRA’s grading of Mutual Funds seeks to address the perceived need among
investors and intermediaries for an informed, reliable and independent opinion on
the performance and risks associated with investing in individual Mutual Fund
Schemes. Specifically the gradings are opinions on the relative past-performance
of Mutual-Fund schemes and the various factors that can influence their future
performance.
Performance Grading
Credit Risk Grading
Market Risk Grading
ADVISORY SERVICES
Credit Risk
Regulatory compliance
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Portfolio management
Market risk
Regulatory compliance
Asset-liability management
Hedging strategies
Transfer pricing
Understanding ALM
Operating Risk
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REGULATORY PRACTICE
Functional Areas
Economic development
Development of regulations
Privatization policies
Institutional strengthening
Determining of subsidies
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RATING PROCESS
(b) Rating team: The team usually comprises two members. The
composition of the team is based on the expertise and skills required for
evaluating the business of the issuer.
The credit rating agency also has a panel of industry experts who provide
guidance on specific issues to the rating team. The secondary sources generally
provide data and trends including policies about the industry.
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Plant visits facilitate understanding of the production process, assess the state
of equipment and main facilitates, evaluate the quality of technical personnel
and form and opinion on the key variables that influence level, quality and cost
of production. These visits also help in assessing the progress of projects under
implementations.
(f)Preview meeting: After completing the analysis, the findings are discussed
at length in the internal committee, comprising senior analysts of the credit
rating agency. All the issues having a bearing on the rating are identified. At
this stage, an opinion on the rating is also formed.
(g)Rating committee meeting: This is the final authority for assigning ratings.
A brief presentation about the issuers business and the management is made
by the rating team. All the issues identified during discussions in the internal
committee are discussed. The rating committee also considers the
recommendations of the internal committee for the rating. Finally a rating is
assigned and all the issues, which influence the rating, are clearly spelt out.
(h)Rating communication: The assigned rating along with the key issues is
communicated to the issuer’s top management for acceptance.
The ratings which are not accepted are either rejected or reviewed. The rejected
ratings are not disclosed and complete confidentiality is maintained.
(i)Rating reviews: If the rating is not accepted to the issuer , he has a right to
appeal for a review of the rating. These reviews are usually taken up only if
the issuer provides fresh inputs on the issues that were considered for assigning
the rating. Issuers response is presented to the Rating Committee. If the inputs
are convincing, the Committee can revise the initial rating decision.
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An Overview
Mandate
Initial Stage
Assign Rating Team
Assign Rating
Surveillance
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RATING FRAMEWORK
The basic objective of rating is to provide an opinion on the relative credit risk (or
default risk) associated with the instrument being rated. This in a nutshell includes,
estimating the cash generation capacity of the issuer through operations (primary
cash flows) vis-à-vis its requirements for servicing obligations over the tenure of
the instrument. Additionally , an assessment is also made of the available
marketable securities(secondary cash flows) which can be liquidated if require d,
to supplement the primary cash flow may be noted that secondary cash flows have
a greater bearing in the short term ratings , while the long term ratings are
generally entirely based on the adequacy of primary cash flows.
All the factors whish have a bearing on future cash generation and claims that
require servicing are considered to assign ratings. These factors can be
conceptually classified into business risk and financial risk drivers.
• Industry characteristic
• Market position
• Operational efficiency
• New projects
• Management quality
• Funding policies
• Financial flexibility
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Demand factors
• Nature of product
State of competition
• Intensity of competition
• Exit barriers
• Threat of substitutes
Environmental factors
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• Switching costs
For credit risk evaluation , stable businesses(low industry risk) with lower level of
cash generation are viewed more favorably compared to business with higher cash
generation potential but relatively higher degree of volatility.
It needs to be mentioned that with the opening up of the Indian economy, it is also
critical to establish international competitiveness both at the industry and unit
level.
Market position : All the factors influencing the relative competitive position of
the issuer are examined in detail. Some of these factors include positioning of the
products , perceived quality of products or brand equity, proximity to the markets,
distribution network and relationship with the customers. In markets where
competiveness is largely determined by costs, the market position is determined
by the unit’s operational efficiency. The result of these factors is reflected in the
ability of the issuer to maintain/ improve its market share and command
differential in pricing. It may be mentioned that the issuers whose market share is
declining, generally do not get favourable long term ratings.
• Scale of operations
• Quality of technology
• Level of integration
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• Experience
A comparison with the peers is done to determine the relative efficiency of the
unit. Some of the indicators for measuring production efficiency are:- resource
productivity, material usage and energy consumption. Collection efficiency and
inventory levels are important indicators of both the market position and
operational efficiency.
New project risks : The scale and nature of new projects can significantly
influence the risk profile of any issuer. Unrelated diversifications into new
products are invariably assessed in greater detail.
The main risks from new projects are:-Time and cost overruns, even non-
completion in an extreme case, during construction phase; financing tie-up;
operational risks; and market risk.
Besides clearly establishing the rationale of new projects, the protective factors
that are assessed include: track record of the management in project
implementation, experience and quality of the project implementation team,
experience and track record of technology supplier, implementation schedule,
status of the project, project cost comparisons, financing arrangements, tie-up of
raw material sources , composition of operations team and market outlook and
plans.
These discussions provide insights into the quality of the management. It also
helps in establishing management’s priorities. A review of the organization
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structure and information system is done to assess whether it aligns with the
management’s plans and priorities. The interactions with key operating personnel
help in determining the quality of the management. Issues like dependence on a
particular individual and succession planning are also addressed.
Funding policies :This determines the level of financial risk. Management’s views
on its funding policies are discussed in detail. These discussions are generally
focused on the following issues:
• Level of leveraging
Financial flexibility : While the primary source for servicing obligations is the
cash generated from operations, an assessment is also made of the ability of the
issuer to draw on other sources, both internal(secondary cash flows) and external,
during periods of stress.
Past financial performance : The impact of the various drivers is reflected in the
actual performance of the issuer. Thus , while the focus of rating exercise is to
determine the future cash flow adequacy for servicing debt obligations, a detailed
review of the past financial statements is critical for better understanding of the
influence of all the business and financial risk factors.
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Evaluation of the existing financial position is also important for determining the
sources of secondary cash flows and claims that may have to be serviced in future.
Indicators of financial performance: Financial indicators over the last few years
are analyzed and performance of the issuer is compared with its peers.
Comparison with peers is important for better understanding of the industry
trends and determining the relative position of the issuer. Some of the
important indicators that are analyzed are presented below:
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It needs to be emphasized that business risk is a prime driver, while gearing has a
secondary role in determining the overall rating.
The level of these ratios reflects the result of business risk drivers and the funding
policies. Generally speaking, higher the level of coverage, higher is the rating.
However as mentioned earlier , business with lower level of coverage can get
higher ratings if the earnings are steady.
Liquidity position : The indicators of liquidity positions are , the levels of:
• Inventory
• Receivables
• Payables
The state of competition , issuer’s market position & policies , relationship with
customers and suppliers arte the important factors that impact the above levels.
Comparison with peers on these indicators helps to determine the relative position
of the issuer in the industry. The funding profile with respect to matching of asset –
liability tenures also has an important bearing on the liquidity position.
Cash flow analysis : Cash is required to service obligations. Thus, any financial
evaluation would be incomplete if cash flow analysis is not carried out.
Cash flows reflect the sources from which cash is generated and it is deployed.
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Cash flows offset the impact of diverse accounting policies and hence facilitate
peer comparison.
Future cash flow adequacy : The ultimate objective of the rating is to determine
the adequacy of cash generation to service obligations. Number of assumptions
based on the future outlook of the business is made to draw projections of financial
statements. Invariably, the financial projections are carried out for a number of
scenarios incorporating a range of possibilities in the set of assumptions for the key
cash flow drivers. A few important drivers are expectations of growth , selling
prices, input costs, working capital requirements, value of currencies.
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LAA+ High safety. Risk factors are modest and may vary
slightly. the protective factors are strong and the
LAA
prospect of timely Payment of principal and interest
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MAA-
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The process of converting financial assets (loans, receivables, etc.) into tradable
securities is generally referred to as ‘securitization’ and the securities thus created
are referred to as ‘asset backed securities’(AIS).
A cash flow structure is the one in which some or all of the cash flows generated
by the identified assets are dedicated for the payment of principal and interest. The
cash flows to the investors are secured primarily by cash flows from the specific
pool of assets.
Advantages of securitisation
The main advantages of securitisation for companies holding financial assets are
listed below:
(a) Increased Liquidity: relatively illiquid assets are converted into tradable
securities.
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(b) Risk Diversification: securitisation allows the issuer to manage its credit
exposure to a particular borrower/sectors and thus helps in risk diversification
of asset portfolios.
(c) Higher Credit Quality: the structure of the instrument can be tailored in such a
manner that a desired credit rating, which is higher than the rating of
company holding the assets is achieved.
(e) Funding Sources: securitisation allows the issuer to find alternate sources of
funding and also raise funds at low costs with improved credit rating.
loan
Servicer repayments Issuer Spl Credit
Purpose Support
Vehicle
Principal &
Issues Interest Payment
Securities payments for
Securities
Investors
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Step3: Sales/Transfer –Sale (or transfer ) of assets from originator to an entity that
is generically referred to as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicle” or SPV. An SPV may be a
trust, a special purpose bankruptcy remote company or a public sector entity.
Step5: Issue of ABS –SPV issues securities to investors and the proceeds from the
issuance are used to pay the originator for the pool of loans.
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Rating Methodology
Credit ratings plays a very important role in the issuance of structured debt
instruments. The structure of the instruments is generally quite complex which
makes the task of assigning the credit risk extremely difficult for lay investors.
Credit ratings provide a simple and objective assessment of default risk in the form
of a symbolic indicator which is easy to comprehend. The framework used for
assessing the risk of default involves assessment of three types of risk-credit risk,
structured risk and legal risk.
• evaluation of the size of enhancement and the change in size over time,
trigger events;
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• third party risk which is the risk of non-performance of the various parties
such as receiving and paying agent, trustees, etc who are involved in the
transaction;
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RATING INADEQUACIES
Rating agencies by making information widely available at a low cost have
increased market efficiency radically over the last few decades. However, in the
credit rating business, unlike any other business, the issuers of information do not
pay for it. It is so because though investors, financial intermediaries and other end
–users use the results of the rating agencies, they actually do not pay for it. The
issuer of the financial instruments whose information is disclosed by the rating
agency actually pays it . this is the basic source of revenue of the rating agencies.
This aspect makes the rating business a different animal. The potential for conflict
of interest facing rating agencies is thus inherent.
Diversification:
Traditionally, the agencies used to gather and analyse all sorts of pertinent
financial and non-financial information. Then they used to utilize it to provide
a rating of the intrinsic value or quality of a security. This was considered as a
convenient way for investors to judge quality and make investment decisions.
However, they were not the only source of information. Market based ratings
provided by market analysts outside the purview of the rating agencies, also
performed about as well as the agency ratings. This eventually posed
challenges to the rating agencies and emerged as a potential threat.
Rating agencies sell information and survive, based on their ability to accumulate
and retain reputation capital. However , once regulation is passed that makes it
mandatory for a company to incorporate ratings, rating agencies begin to sell
not only information but also valuable property rights associated with
compliance of regulation. This again accentuates the possibility of the rating
agencies to exploit the regulation. Though the rating agencies will never
force any company to buy their information, the companies will always try to
oblige the rating agencies by buying them. As the sale of these products
generates revenues the rating agencies will not be willing to lose them. There
lies the potential conflict of interest. If the companies buy the services of the
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rating agencies , irrespective of the quality aspect, then the reward they expect
is definitely a better rating.
Both CRISIL, ICRA have diversified into the consultancy business, after
perceiving the potential threat and partly foreseeing the saturation of the
market for new rating business. Presently both the rating giants provide a well
– diversified portfolio of risk-consultancy services. Over the past two
decades. The risk –consultancy services of Moody’s has become a leading
provider to investors, financial analysts and other end-users in managing the
risk in portfolios of credit exposures to both private and public companies. It
allows credit risk professionals to employ Moody’s ratings and credit history
experience to better measure and manage credit risk, to price credit risk, to
identify industry and geographic concentrations , and to measure the impact of
the prospective purchases or sale of debt within a portfolio context. The
international practice is being replicated in India on an increasing basis by
ICRA and CRISIL given the fact that Moody’s and S&P hold stakes in each
of them respectively.
In the aftermath of the Enron debacle , allegations have been raised against the
rating agencies for not being prompt in identifying the Enron debacle. It has been
opined by various people that had the rating agencies been quick in envisaging the
company’s bankruptcy, many investors would have saved themselves from burning
their hands.
The rating agencies defending themselves, say that their job is to portray the true
picture of the riskiness associated with a bond and its likelihood of default in the
long run. The possibility of the rating agencies being jittery of revealing shoddy
financial statements hiding actual transaction cannot be ruled out. With Enron , it
is possible that they thought it better to think twice before having the courage to
say that the emperor is not wearing any clothes. And that took time to downgrade
the company.
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CONCLUSION
Credit Rating in India is a concept with not too long a history. Given its
significance as an information provider and facilitator for the efficient allocation of
resources by the financial market, credit rating services will continue to occupy a
place of significance in our growing economy. The success of the system will
ultimately hinge on the presentation of credibility and integrity by the concerned
agencies.
The rating agencies faces a lot of challenges specially after the Enron debacle.
Allegations have already been raised against the rating agencies for not doing
their job. As the credit rating agencies have to maintain their own reputation for
their survival, it becomes imperative to them to remain extremely alert to the
developments both in the market and within companies.
Mr. Clifford Griep, Chief Credit Officer, S&P says “ Many changes are underway,
including publishing commentary more frequently so that the markets hear from
us after routine events such as earning calls and management changes.” According
to him , the forward looking commentary will enable the investor to identify “
credit cliff situations” and the change in the credit worthiness of companies over a
period of time. The fast changing economic scenario, increased global competition,
high volatility among investment grade credits and securities price behavior has
fueled the demand for a more complete and rigorous surveillance and commentary
from rating agencies.
However , the flipside of prompt down(or up) gradation by the rating agencies
henceforth , will increase the volatility in the stock prices, to a grate extent. It may
also lead to a loss of long-term focus of credit rating.
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Another issue that asks for introspection is how the credit rating agencies account
for off-balance sheet deals and the degree of financial disclosure of the company
they rate.
The rating agencies must put more focus on the information related to the off-
balance sheet transactions. Clearly, lesser the transparency in financial disclosure,
more is the possibility of surprises to investors. The rating agencies should more
promptly identify companies trying to suppress financial information.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
6. www. icraindia.com
7. www.crisil.com
8. www.businessstandard.com
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PREFACE
This study was undertaken to understand the functioning of credit rating agencies,
their role and impact in the capital market in India. Credit Rating agencies ,
worldwide has evolved over the years. It was started by rating the ability of
merchants to pay their financial obligations and that of Railroad Securities.
Nowadays the items that are rated include debt, instruments issued by
manufacturing companies, commercial banks, NBFC’s, FI’s, PSU’s and
municipalities; structured obligation; Corporate Governance; Claim paying ability
of Insurance Companies; Construction Entities; Real Estate Developers & Projects;
and Mutual Fund Schemes.
Credit Rating is a boon for the common investors in terms of information which
are not always accessible to them and also for the issuers as it helps them to build a
credibility and helps them to raise funds from the market at a cheaper rate.
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CONTENTS
Introduction
--Objective
--Historical Origin
--Concept of Credit Rating
--Use
--SEBI Regulations
Methodology
Credit Rating Agencies in India
ICRA
-Range of services
Rating Process
Rating Framework
Rating of Structured obligations
Rating Inadequacies
Conclusion
Annexure
Bibliography
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ANNEXURE
Source: Internet
____________________________________________
What is credit rating??? How is it generally done?
A poor credit rating indicates a high risk of defaulting on a loan, and thus leads to
high interest rates, or the refusal of a loan by the creditor.
Personal credit ratings
An individual's credit score, along with his or her credit report, affects his or her
ability to borrow money through financial institutions such as banks.
In Canada, the most common ratings are the North American Standard Account
Ratings, also known as the "R" ratings, which have a range between R0 and R9.
R0 refers to a new account; R1 refers to on-time payments; R9 refers to bad debt.
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Credit rating is done by a credit rating agency..check out info about that also
A credit rating agency (CRA) is a company that assigns credit ratings for issuers of
certain types of debt obligations. In most cases, these issuers are companies, cities,
non-profit organizations, or national governments issuing debt-like securities that
can be traded on a secondary market. A credit rating measures credit worthiness,
the ability to pay back a loan, and affects the interest rate applied to loans. (A
company that issues credit scores for individual credit-worthiness is generally
called a credit bureau or consumer credit reporting agency.)
Interest rates are not the same for everyone, but instead are based on risk-based
pricing, a form of price discrimination based on the different expected costs of
different borrowers, as set out in their credit rating. There exist more than 100
rating agencies worldwide.
Credit rating agencies for corporations
* A. M. Best (U.S.)
* Baycorp Advantage (Australia)
* Dominion Bond Rating Service (Canada)
* Fitch Ratings (U.S.)
* Moody's (U.S.)
* Standard & Poor's (U.S.)
* Pacific Credit Rating (Peru)
Credit ratings are used by investors, issuers, investment banks, broker-dealers, and
by governments. For investors, credit rating agencies increase the range of
investment alternatives and provide independent, easy-to-use measurements of
relative credit risk; this generally increases the efficiency of the market, lowering
costs for both borrowers and lenders. This in turn increases the total supply of risk
capital in the economy, leading to stronger growth. It also opens the capital
markets to categories of borrower who might otherwise be shut out altogether:
small governments, startup companies, hospitals and universities.
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institutional investors now prefer that a debt issuance have at least three ratings.
Issuers also use credit ratings in certain structured finance transactions. For
example, a company with a very high credit rating wishing to undertake a
particularly risky research project could create a legally separate entity with certain
assets that would own and conduct the research work. This "special purpose entity"
would then assume all of the research risk and issue its own debt securities to
finance the research. The SPE's credit rating likely would be very low and the
issuer would have to pay a high rate of return on the bonds issued. However, this
risk would not lower the parent company's overall credit rating because the SPE
would be a legally separate entity. Conversely, a company with a low credit rating
might be able to borrow on better terms if it were to form an SPE and transfer
significant assets to that subsidiary and issue secured debt securities. That way, if
the venture were to fail, the lenders would have recourse to the assets owned by the
SPE. This would lower the interest rate the SPE would need to pay as part of the
debt offering.
The same issuer also may have different credit ratings for different bonds. This
difference results from the bond's structure, how it is secured, and the degree to
which the bond is subordinated to other debt. Many larger CRAs offer "credit
rating advisory services" that essentially advise an issuer on how to structure its
bond offerings and SPEs so as to achieve a given credit rating for a certain debt
tranche. This creates a potential conflict of interest, of course, as the CRA may feel
obligated to provide the issuer with that given rating if the issuer followed its
advice on structuring the offering. Some CRAs avoid this conflict by refusing to
rate debt offerings for which its advisory services were sought.
Investment banks and broker-dealers also use credit ratings in calculating their
own risk portfolios (i.e., the collective risk of all of their investments). Larger
banks and broker-dealers conduct their own risk calculations, but rely on CRA
ratings as a "check" (and double-check or triple-check) against their own analyses.
Regulators use credit ratings as well, or permit these ratings to be used for
regulatory purposes. For example, under the Basel II agreement of the Basel
Committee on Banking Supervision, banking regulators can allow banks to use
credit ratings from certain approved CRAs (called "ECAIs" or "External Credit
Assessment Institutions") when calculating their net capital reserve requirements.
In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) permits
investment banks and broker-dealers to use credit ratings from "Nationally
Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations" (or "NRSROs") for similar purposes.
The idea is that banks and other financial institutions should not need to keep in
reserve the same amount of capital to protect the institution against (for example) a
run on the bank, if the financial institution is heavily invested in highly liquid and
very "safe" securities (such as U.S. government bonds or short-term commercial
paper from very stable companies).
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CRA ratings are also used for other regulatory purposes as well. The U.S. SEC, for
example, permits certain bond issuers to use a shorten prospectus form when
issuing bonds if the issuer is older, has issued bonds before, and has a credit rating
above a certain level. SEC regulations also require that money market funds
(mutual funds that mimic the safety and liquidity of a bank savings deposit, but
without FDIC insurance) comprise only securities with a very high rating from an
NRSRO. Likewise, insurance regulators use credit ratings to ascertain the strength
of the reserves held by insurance companies.
_________________________________________________________
What Is A Corporate Credit Rating?
by Reem Heakal
Before you decide whether to invest into a debt security from a company or foreign
country, you must determine whether the prospective entity will be able to meet its
obligations. A ratings company can help you do this. Providing independent objective
assessments of the credit worthiness of companies and countries, a credit ratings company
helps investors decide how risky it is to invest money in a certain country and/or security.
The Raters
There are three top agencies that deal in credit ratings for the investment world. These are:
Moody's, Standard and Poor's (S&P's) and Fitch IBCA. Each of these agencies aim to
provide a rating system to help investors determine the risk associated with investing in a
specific company, investing instrument or market.
Ratings can be assigned to short-term and long-term debt obligations as well as securities,
loans, preferred stock and insurance companies. Long-term credit ratings tend to be more
indicative of a country's investment surroundings and/or a company's ability to honor its
debt responsibilities.
It is important to note that ratings are not equal to or the same as buy, sell or hold
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Thus, for Fitch IBCA, a "AAA" rating signifies the highest investment grade and means
that there is very low credit risk. "AA" represents very high credit quality; "A" means high
credit quality, and "BBB" is good credit quality. These ratings are considered to be
investment grade, which means that the security or the entity being rated carries a level of
quality that many institutions require when considering overseas investments.
Ratings that fall under "BBB" are considered to be speculative or junk. Thus for Moody's a
Ba2 would be a speculative grade rating while for S&P's, a "D" denotes default of junk
bond status.
Here is a chart that gives an overview of the different ratings symbols that Moody's and
Standard and Poor's issue:
Bond Rating
Grade Risk
Moody's Standard & Poor's
Aaa AAA Investment Lowest Risk
Aa AA Investment Low Risk
A A Investment Low Risk
Baa BBB Investment Medium Risk
Ba, B BB, B Junk High Risk
Caa/Ca/C CCC/CC/C Junk Highest Risk
C D Junk In Default
Because it is the doorway into a country's investment atmosphere, the sovereign rating is
the first thing most institutional investors will look at when making a decision to invest
money abroad. This rating gives the investor an immediate understanding of the level of
risk associated with investing in the country. A country with a sovereign rating will
therefore get more attention than one without. So to attract foreign money, most countries
will strive to obtain a sovereign rating and they will strive even more so to reach
investment grade. In most circumstances, a country's sovereign credit rating will be its
upper limit of credit ratings.
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Conclusion
A credit rating is a useful tool not only for the investor, but also for the entities looking for
investors. An investment grade rating can put a security, company or country on the global
radar, attracting foreign money and boosting a nation's economy. Indeed, for emerging
market economies, the credit rating is key to showing their worthiness of money from
foreign investors. And because the credit rating acts to facilitate investments, many
countries and companies will strive to maintain and improve their ratings, hence ensuring
a stable political environment and a more transparent capital market.
by Reem Heakal
Why do rating agencies use symbols like AAA, AA, rather than give marks or
descriptive credit opinion?
The great advantage of rating symbols is their simplicity, which facilitates universal
understanding. Rating companies also publish explanations for their symbols used as well
as the rationale for the ratings assigned by them, to facilitate deeper understanding.
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How reliable and consistent is the rating process? How do rating agencies eliminate
the subjective element in rating?
To answer the second question first, it is neither possible nor even desirable, to totally
eliminate the subjective element. Rating does not come out of a pre-determined
mathematical formula, which fixes the relevant variables as well as the weights attached to
each one of them. Rating agencies do a great amount of number crunching, but the final
outcome also takes into account factors like quality of management, corporate strategy,
economic outlook and international environment. To ensure consistency and reliability, a
number of qualified professionals are involved in the rating process. The Rating
Committee, which assigns the final rating, consists of professionals with impeccable
credentials. Rating agencies also ensure that the rating process is insulated from any
possible conflicts of interest.
Is it customary to have the same issue rated by more than one rating agency? Do
the ratings for the same instrument vary from agency to agency?
The answer to both the questions is yes. In the well-developed capital markets, debt issues
are, more often than not, rated by more than one agency. And, it is only natural that the
opinions given by two or more agencies will vary, in some cases. But it will be very unusual
if such differences are very wide. For example, a debt issue may be rated DOUBLE A
PLUS by one agency and DOUBLE A or DOUBLE A MINUS by another. It will indeed be
unusual if one agency assigns a rating of DOUBLE A while another gives a TRIPLE B.
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Is it possible that not satisfied with the rating assigned by one rating agency, an
issuer approaches another, in the hope of getting a better result?
It is possible, but rating companies do not and should not indulge in competitive
generosity. Any attempt by issuers to play one agency against another will have to be
discouraged by all the rating companies. It may, however, be pointed out here that two
rating companies may, and often do, arrive at different conclusions on the same issue.
This is only natural, as perceptions differ.
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basis, inter-alia, of past performance and all available information (from audited financial
statements, interaction with company management, banks and financial institutions,
statutory auditors, etc.) at a particular time. While rating agencies make all possible efforts
to project corporate business prospects, industry trends and management capabilities,
many events are unpredictable. Hence, such opinions may prove wrong in the context of
subsequent events. On the occurrence of such an event, a rating agency can only review
and make appropriate changes in the rating. Moreover, when there are recessionary
trends in certain segments of the economy, companies in such segments or with large
exposures to such segments are adversely affected and their credit ratings get
downgraded. Such downgradations are a natural consequence of the recessionary trends.
In other words, credit quality (and credit rating) is dynamic, not static and all rating
agencies review their ratings periodically and make changes, wherever considered
appropriate. Such changes are reported widely through the media. It is the experience of
all rating agencies that some instruments initially rated as investment grade fall below
investment grade or go into default, over a period of time.
Further, it must be noted that there is no privity of contract between an investor or a lender
and a rating agency and the investor is free to accept or reject the opinion of the agency. A
credit rating is not an advice to buy, sell or hold securities or investments and investors are
expected to take their investment decisions after considering all relevant factors and their
own policies and priorities. A credit rating is not a guarantee against future losses. Please
also note that credit ratings do not take into account many aspects which influence
investment decisions. They do not, for example, evaluate the reasonableness of the issue
price, possibilities for capital gains or take into account the liquidity in the secondary
market. Ratings also do not take into account the risk of prepayment by issuer, or interest
or exchange risks. Although these are often related to the credit risk, the rating essentially
is an opinion on the relative quality of the credit risk, based on the information available at
a given point of time.
GLOSSSARY
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