Ratings agencies
Sovereign troubles will drag banks down: Moody's
Ratings agency says sovereign downgrades in the southern eurozone could lead to decline in banking sector, further spending cuts will exacerbate problem
European rating agency could break the hold of 'big three': Barnier
European commissioner Michel Barnier moots a continental ratings agency to introduce diversity, comments follow criticism of ratings agencies from European finance minister
ECB breaks equal-treatment pledge and accepts Greek junk bonds
European Central Bank suspends minimum credit rating on Greek government debt, breaking its commitment to universal collateral rules
Buba’s Weber chastises 'counterproductive' stalling on Greece
Bundesbank president Axel Weber calls for swift action to move forward as Standard & Poor’s downgrades Spain in further sign that Greek crisis is spilling over to neighbouring countries
Election uncertainty clouds future of FSA, Bank
Regulator could be swallowed by central bank if Conservatives win, but polls and analysts divided on most likely outcome
S&P’s Greek downgrade puts collateral issue back on agenda at ECB
Standard & Poor’s downgrades Greece’s debt to junk, the implications mean collateral would be ineligible at the European Central Bank if Moody’s and Fitch followed suit
Portuguese rating takes double-notch beating
Standard & Poor’s downgrades long-term rating to A- and short-term rating to A-2 on concerns over deteriorating macroeconomic environment, credit default spreads stretch further
US Senate finds rating agencies influenced by banks
Inquiry says conflict of interest between agencies and their customers did influence ratings of mortgage-backed securities
Junk bonds the way forward for China: ex-PBoC deputy
Former Chinese central bank vice-governor Guo Shuqing says new and small start-ups stand to gain from the issuance of non-investment grade debt
Trichet: credit agencies essential
In reply to a question from MEP Nikolaos Chountis, Jean-Claude Trichet highlights the importance of rating agencies
Likely euro adoption puts Estonia on positive watch
Fitch Ratings predicts Estonia will join Euro after Tallinn publishes debt figures
Kansas Fed heralds more stable banking sector
Stress indicator for financial sector shows further decline in February, moving it closer to its long run average
Schapiro seeks tighter reins on hedge-funds
US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Mary Schapiro eyes more stringent controls for hedge funds and credit rating agencies
Instability hampers finance: IMF
International Monetary Fund looks at market access for the world’s poorest countries
Norges Bank reverses emergency collateral rules
Norway’s central bank tightens collateral guidelines with immediate effect, proposes end to acceptance of bank bonds
Triple A ratings safe for now
Moody’s says Aaa countries have stable outlooks
Ratings agencies: regulate or downgrade?
Ludˇek Niedermayer worries that regulating ratings agencies will simply increase their influence and create the wrong incentives
Rating agencies: regulate or downgrade?
In the aftermath of the financial crisis, the actions of ratings agencies cannot remain unchecked, argues Ludek Niedermayer, a former vice governor at the Czech National Bank
On how credit ratings are used
A report by the Joint Forum has uncovered several trends in the use of credit ratings by the official sector.
Markets fear US ratings downgrade: Pimco's Gross
The co-head of the world's biggest bond fund has said that that markets are beginning to price in the threat of the United States losing its triple-A rating, which he believes will eventually go.
ECB wants more info on collateral - report
The European Central Bank (ECB) could toughen up its collateral rules by forcing banks to disclose more detail about the instruments provided in return for the Frankfurt-based institution's funds, say reports.
EU devises new rules for rating agencies
The European Parliament on Thursday approved a batch of rules aimed at enhancing the transparency and performance of credit rating agencies, under fire for their role in the crisis.
RBI's Gopinath on CRAs
Capital requirements that are based solely on credit ratings will need to be replaced by a more granular and nuanced approach, said Shyamala Gopinath, a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
Emerging markets' capital inflows
A new paper from the Bank of England examines the supply of international capital flows to emerging-market economies.