Standard & Poor’s
The Great Ratings Debate Continues
Controversy over how the major credit ratings agencies operate broke out again at a conference hosted by the Bond Market Association earlier this year.
S&P expands its valuation services for complex structures
Standard and Poor's (S&P) has linked-up with New York-based Complex Security Valuations (CSV) in order to expand its market valuation services of complex, illiquid securities and derivatives.
S&P predicts greater sovereign rating demand
Ratings on emerging market sovereigns will be a growth area, says the agency
S&P to adopt Case-Shiller housing indexes for CME derivatives
Standards & Poor’s (S&P) plans to offer housing indexes, which will provide the basis for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s (CME) new breed of property derivatives.
S&P places three Hong Kong CDOs on negative credit watch
Standard & Poor’s has placed the ratings on three Hong Kong synthetic collateralised debt obligations (CDOs) on credit watch with negative implications. The agency affirmed the ratings on two other Hong Kong CDOs.
CDS IndexCo and Markit launch synthetic US CMBS index
CDS IndexCo and Markit have launched CMBX, a range of synthetic credit default swap (CDS) indexes of US commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), which will trade from today.
S&P expects more sub-investment grade sovereign issuance
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) expects a growing number of emerging market sovereigns to request ratings in the near term. This follows new ratings assigned to Georgia (B+), Sri Lanka (B+) and Nigeria (BB-).
S&P revamps RatingsDirect
Standard & Poor's, the New York-based ratings agency, has introduced an updated RatingsDirect, its research and risk analysis tool that provides real-time online credit ratings for investment professionals.
Trading Book regime needs change, says Schmidt Bies
New liquidity and credit risks in the trading book warrant the review of the Market Risk Amendment of 1996 as proposed by the Basel Committee, according to Susan Schmidt Bies, member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
New CDS for ABS document to spur demand, says S&P
Analysts are predicting that revisions to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association's documentation templates for credit default swap (CDS) options referenced to asset-backed securities (ABS) could spark a several billion dollar fillip in…
Apra exec defends modifications
SINGAPORE – An executive from the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (Apra) defended the supervisor's decision to dramatically modify its approach to the Basel II standardised approach in a discussion paper released at the end of July.
Katrina sparks model rethink
Demand for catastrophe bonds is unlikely to wane following the impact of Hurricane Katrina in August, despite question marks raised about hedge funds' appetite for taking on catastrophe risk in the aftermath of the disaster.
High risk credits spark recovery swap revival
The high profile bankruptcy protection filing by US auto parts manufacturer Delphi last weekend and the subsequent downgrading of General Motors (GM) by Standard & Poor’s have heightened market interest in recovery swaps, say dealers.
Most US lenders would survive bursting of a real estate bubble
Research by Standard & Poor’s suggests that most US mortgage firms would be able to withstand the bursting of a US housing bubble, despite the greater credit risk associated with current mortgage portfolios.
Economic capital blues
Rating agencies and life insurers have not always got on, with squabbles over how to account for diversification across business lines a prime reason. But could the rise of economic capital management put an end to the arguing?
S&P makes push in Asia
Standard and Poor’s (S&P), the ratings agency and index provider, has hired Toshiki Ando as a business development director for Asia - a new role within its securities data unit.
What has op risk to do with ‘credit’ ratings?
How should credit rating agencies include op risk in their assessment of firms’ creditworthiness? By Choongo Moonga
Plugging the gaps
Italian banks have overhauled the risk management of their loan portfolios. But weaknesses still remain, particularly in the area of risk-adjusted pricing and credit risk transfer. Rachel Wolcott looks at what steps Italy’s banks are taking to fill the…
Concern over ABS op risk grows
Recent defaults, downgrades and losses have prompted increased concern among investors about the operational risks associated with securitisation, according to a new Standard & Poor’s (S&P) survey.
Australia and Singapore leadBasel II in Asia
Australia and Singapore’s banking sectors are leading the Asia-Pacific region when it comes to the implementation of Basel II, according to a recent report by Standard and Poor’s. But, even banks operating in these countries face considerable challenges…
Australia and Singapore lead Basel II implementation in Asia
Australia and Singapore’s banks are leading the Asia-Pacific region when it comes to the implementation of Basel II, according to a report released this week by Standard and Poor’s. But even banks operating in these countries face considerable challenges…
Australia and Singapore lead Basel II implementation in Asia
Australia and Singapore’s banks are leading the Asia-Pacific region when it comes to the implementation of Basel II, according to a report released this week by Standard and Poor’s. But even banks operating in these countries face considerable challenges…
German banks get to grips with a new lending reality
Removal of state guarantees and pressure from shareholders for better returns means German banks can no longer churn out uneconomically priced loans to clients. Now they are starting to introduce sophisticated loan pricing systems, writes Duncan Wood
Fitch/Algorithmics deal analysis
New York-based global ratings and risk management specialist Fitch Group has acquired Toronto-based enterprise risk management software supplier Algorithmics for $175 million.