Regulating Credit Rating Agencies

This highly topical book examines how the leading credit rating agencies – Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch – have risen to prominence in the wake of the financial crisis.

It investigates how the Big Three have become ever more profitable even though the quality of their ratings has declined and rating scandals have tarnished their reputation. After a century of being left quasi-unregulated the rating industry is now subject to sweeping reforms. This informative study analyses the post-crisis overhaul in the United States and the European Union. The focus lies on the interactions between regulatory intervention and competitive incentives among the Big Three. This book highlights the challenges faced by policymakers trying to regulate the rating industry and simultaneously decrease over-reliance on ratings.

Regulating Credit Rating Agencies will appeal to academics in law and economics, practitioners, policymakers, lawmakers and regulators.