Ratings Agencies

SEC 'Courageously Assails' Small Ratings Agency, Leaves Downturn Culprits Unmolested

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 05.03.2012

Read More: Eat the Press, Regulatory Capture, Credit Derivatives, Financial Oversight, Ratings Agencies, Financial Crisis, Sec, Egan-Jones, Securities and Exchange Commission, Financial Regulation, Business News

If you're like me, you may have noticed the curious way our Wall Street watchdogs tend to operate. For example, a comparison: Harry Markopolos can gif...

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Illinois Attorney General Sues S&P Over Ratings, Alleges Fraud

Reuters | Posted 03.26.2012

Read More: S&p Lawsuit, Lisa Madigan Sues S&p, Video, Illinois Attorney General, Ratings Agencies, Reuters, Lisa Madigan Ratings Agency, Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General Sues S&p, Chicago News

* Lawsuit: S&P issued inflated ratings to boost market share * McGraw-Hill unit sued in Cook County, Illinois court ...

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The Hate-Europe Movement Hits a Snag

Steve Kettmann | Posted 03.21.2012

Read More: Euro Zone, Standard & Poor's, Euro, Ratings Agencies, Euro Zone Crisis, Moody's, European Economy, Business News

No one should underestimate the severity of the crisis gripping the Euro zone. But press speculation on the euro's demise -- often with the tone that it was about to happen -- any second! -- has been more about media fashion than understanding of Europe.

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Report: Agency Ramps Up Probe Into S&P During Financial Crisis

Reuters | Posted 03.18.2012

Read More: Business News, Video, S&p Probe, Justice Department S&p Investigation, Justice Department, Standard and Poor's, Ratings Agencies, Reuters, Business News

Jan 17 (Reuters) - The Justice Department has stepped up its investigation of Standard & Poor's mortgage bond ratings during the financial crisi...

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S&P Could Face Legal Action Over CDO Ratings

AP | MARCY GORDON | Posted 11.26.2011

Read More: Business News, Banks CDOs, 2008 Financial Crisis, Standard & Poor's, Video, Securities and Exchange Commission, Ratings Agencies, Business News

WASHINGTON — The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering taking civil action against Standard & Poor's for its rating of a 2007 mortga...

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S&P: U.S. Downgrade Increased Risks For Other Entities

Posted 11.08.2011

Read More: Standard & Poor's, AAA Rating, S&P's Global Fixed Income Research Unit, U.S. Credit Downgrade, Ratings Agencies, U.S. Sovereign Credit Rating, Creditwatch, Video, Business News

NEW YORK - Standard & Poor's downgrade of the U.S. sovereign credit rating last month increased downgrade risks for other global entities, includi...

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Watch: Angry Mom Flies Banner Over Wall Street

Posted 10.10.2011

Read More: U.S. Economy, Lucy Nobbe, Wall Street, Ratings Agencies, u.s. Downgrade, Downgrade, Standard & Poor's, Sky Writing, Sky Banner, New York, Downgrade Banner, Plane Message, Video, Business News

Following ratings agency Standard & Poor's downgrade of the U.S. credit rating last week, a small plane flew past the company's offices in New York, t...

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Stock Market Plunges. The Free-Market God Is Angry With His Followers!

Richard (RJ) Eskow | Posted 10.02.2011

Read More: Delphic Oracle, Paul Krugman, Stock Market, An Economy for All, Debt Ceiling Deal, Brad De Long, Curbing Wall Street, Unemployment, Ricardian Equivalence, Debt Default, Ratings Agencies, Debt Ceiling Negotiations, Stimulus, AAA Rating, Business News

No sooner did the president and Boehner announce their agreement than the stock market fell dramatically. The all-knowing Stock Exchange, that Delphic Oracle of their cult, has looked upon their handiwork... and frowned.

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S&P: Deficit Reduction Of $4 Trillion Would Be 'Good Downpayment'

Posted 09.27.2011

Read More: Debt, Deficit, John Chambers, Standard and Poor's, Ratings Agencies, 112th Congress, Credit Rating Agencies, Timothy Geithner, Barack Obama, Video, Business News

NEW YORK (Walter Brandimarte and Daniel Bases) - A U.S. deficit reduction plan that promises $4 trillion in savings over time would be a "good dow...

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50 Percent Chance U.S. Gets Downgraded: S&P

Posted 09.20.2011

Read More: US Credit Rating, Standard and Poor's, Ratings Agencies, US Debt, 112th Congress, Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner, US Credit Worthiness, Barack Obama, US Debt Ceiling, Video, Business News

NEW YORK (Emily Flitter and Daniel Bases) - Standard & Poor's reiterated on Thursday it sees a real risk that future U.S. government deficits may ...

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Credit Rating Agency Expects More Chinese Companies To Be Investigated

AP | Posted 09.17.2011

Read More: China Fraud, Fitch Ratings, Shareholders, Chinese Growth, Ratings Agencies, Standard and Poor's, Economic Crisis, Free Trade, China, Fair Trade, Business News

HONG KONG -- Chinese companies will continue to be hit by corporate fraud accusations and investigations as the country struggles to improve corporate...

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California Bond Outlook Stable, Says Standard & Poor's

AP | By JUDY LIN | Posted 09.06.2011

Read More: California Credit Rating, Standard & Poor's, State Credit Ratings, California Bond, Ratings Agencies, Los Angeles News

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- One of the nation's leading bond-rating agencies upgraded its outlook for California's finances Thursday after Gov. Jerry Brown ...

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Fix Foreclosure Fraud With a Borrowers' Bill of Rights

Richard (RJ) Eskow | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Aig, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, S&P, Kroll Ratings, Ratings Agencies, Moody's, Business News

Isn't it time we made the most important "systemic fix" of all -- the one that repairs the broken link between a bank and the society in which it operates?

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Kolchinsky vs Moody's: the Perils of Whistle Blowing

Charles H. Green | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Cdos, Whistleblowers, Wall Street, Scandal, Ratings Agencies, Business News

There's a new whistle blower in town, and he deserves a look-see. Hhis name is Ilya Eric Kolchinsky, and the company he's blowing the whistle on is his former employer, Moody's Investors Service.

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When Will the AA Batteries Run Out?

Bill Baker | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Debt, Financial Crisis, Ben Bernanke, Sovereign Debt Crisis, Ratings Agencies, China, Dagong, World News

In China, the Dagong International Credit Rating agency may be rating the U.S. "AA" for now, but if the process of instability takes over as their latest report hints, we should expect the juice in this AA battery to run out.

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Sen. Feingold & Cantwell: Stay Principled and Vote Against Weak Financial Reform Bill -- But Don't Let Republicans Filibuster

Miles Mogulescu | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Financial Regulatory Reform, Russ Feingold, Volker-Rule, Fillibuster, Conference Committee, Financial Meltdown, Ratings Agencies, Maria Cantwell, Financial Reform, Derivatives Reform, Too Big to Fail, Financial Crisis, Executive Compensation, Politics News

The Democrats' financial reform bill is weak tea that doesn't fix the problem of too big to fail megabanks or prevent the next cycle of boom, bust and bailout.

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Product Warranty Proposal for the Ratings Agencies

Kim Davis | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Ratings Agencies, Financial Crisis, NRSRO, Sec, Mortgage, Financial Meltdown, AAA Rating, Bonds, Moody's, Business News

An enduring mystery of the debate about regulatory reform is the extent to which the ratings agencies are a second order issue of concern.

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Goldman's Blueprint for Dumping Toxic Assets: How These CDOs Were Designed to Fail

David Fiderer | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Goldman Sachs, Cdos, Subprime Mortgages, John Paulson, Finance, Ratings Agencies, Fasb, Magnetar Trade, Financial Crisis, Sec, Credit Default Swaps, Securities and Exchange Commission, FASB 157, Cdo, Business News

While most of these deals remain shrouded in secrecy, one of them, Anderson Mezzanine Funding 2007, Ltd. lays out its blueprint in sufficient detail so that we can pinpoint how and why this transaction's failure was assured.

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EU Wants New Rating Agencies To Rival US Rating Agencies

AP | AOIFE WHITE | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Standard, Credit Rating Agencies, Credit Ratings, European Commission, Eu, Fitch, Ratings Agencies, Business News

BRUSSELS — The European Union's executive on Wednesday called for European credit rating agencies to rival the three U.S.-based market leaders a...

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Are Ratings Agencies Protecting the UK and US Like They Did With Mortgage Debt?

Damien Hoffman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Debt, Credit, Ratings Agencies, Business News

Yesterday, S&P (MHP) reiterated the UK's AAA credit rating. That rating alone shows just how little the ratings agencies have changed since they abetted the CDO scams.

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How the Bond Raters Took Over the World

Bob Samuels | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Fitch Ratings, Standard and Poor, Ratings Agencies, Bonds, Moody's, Business News

Not only do bond rating agencies rate countries and businesses, but they also rate universities, and a careful examination of their rating reports shows that their seemingly neutral analysis is often full of neoliberal beliefs.

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The National Interest

Max Fraad Wolff | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Treasury Department, Debt, Social Justice, Failed Treasury Auction, Federal Budget Deficit, Ratings Agencies, Social Spending, Interest Rates, AAA Rating, Rebalancing, Business News

Legislative and media attention is rotating from health care to financial reform. Yet few are talking about the balance sheet of the Federal Government. Historically they don't. We have seen this story unfold before.

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Compare Senate, House Financial Reform Bills: CFPA, Fed, Derivatives Differences

AP | The Associated Press | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Fdic, Merkley Levin, Cfpa, Finreg, Financial Regulation, House, Financial Reform Bill, Senate, Mortgage, Fed, Ratings Agencies, Volcker Rule, Banks, Financial Crisis, Wall Street, Politics News

A comparison of the Senate and House financial regulation bills: ____...

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The Times Story On Goldman's Role in AIG's Downfall Is More Damning When Placed In Context

David Fiderer | Posted 05.25.2011

Placed in a broader context, the front page story The New York Times is even more damning of Goldman Sachs than readers might realize. Goldman played...

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Bill Supposed To Tighten Rules On Ratings Agencies Has Big Loopholes

McClatchy | Kevin G. Hall | McClatchy Newspapers | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Standard, Moody's Investors Service, Wall Street, Wall Street Regulation, Ratings Agencies, Economy, Economic Crisis, Financial Crisis, Rating Agencies, Global Financial Crisis, Financial Regulation, House Financial Services Committee, Investors, Business News

A key House of Representatives committee is set to vote soon on legislation that would overhaul financial regulation and produce greater transparency ...

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