Reputational Shocks and the Information Content of Credit Ratings
45 Pages Posted: 21 Dec 2010 Last revised: 11 Dec 2017
Date Written: December 11, 2017
Abstract
We investigate how shocks to the reputation of credit rating agencies and the subsequent introduction of stricter regulation affect investors' reaction to rating signals. We focus on three major episodes of reputational distress: The Enron/WorldCom scandals, the subprime crisis and the lawsuit against Standard & Poor's. We document a stronger response of stock investors to downgrades in the aftermath of reputational shocks, which is not, however, accompanied by an improvement in rating quality. Our results are consistent with a scenario where, following evidence of misrating, market investors conclude that ratings are generally overstated and infer greater negative information from downgrades. The effect is stronger for the investment-grade segment, where rating errors have a wider reputational impact. The introduction of new regulatory measures such the SOX Act, the CRA Reform Act and the Dodd-Frank Act, seems instead to improve rating quality and soften investors' response.
Keywords: Credit rating agencies, Rating announcements, Reputational shocks, Regulation
JEL Classification: G14, G24, G28
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?
Recommended Papers
-
By Patrick Bolton, Xavier Freixas, ...
-
By Patrick Bolton, Xavier Freixas, ...
-
By Patrick Bolton, Xavier Freixas, ...
-
Ratings Shopping and Asset Complexity: A Theory of Ratings Inflation
By Vasiliki Skreta and Laura Veldkamp
-
Ratings Shopping and Asset Complexity: A Theory of Ratings Inflation
By Vasiliki Skreta and Laura Veldkamp
-
Credit Ratings as Coordination Mechanisms
By Arnoud W. A. Boot, Todd T. Milbourn, ...
-
How Did Increased Competition Affect Credit Ratings?
By Bo Becker and Todd T. Milbourn
-
How Did Increased Competition Affect Credit Ratings?
By Bo Becker and Todd T. Milbourn