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Publications

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  • All HBS Web  (365)
    • News  (61)
    • Research  (286)
    • Events  (1)
    • Multimedia  (1)
  • Faculty Publications  (63)

Show Results For

  • All HBS Web  (365)
    • News  (61)
    • Research  (286)
    • Events  (1)
    • Multimedia  (1)
  • Faculty Publications  (63)
Page 1 of 365 Results →
  • 2021
  • Working Paper

International Evidence on the Effects of a Local Presence by U.S. Credit Rating Agencies

By: Liran Eliner, Michael Machokoto and Anywhere Sikochi
Major U.S. credit rating agencies are criticized for failing to understand developments in other economies and thereby impeding capital access by assigning lower ratings. Consistent with this, we find that Moody's and S&P credit ratings are more favorable after the... View Details
Keywords: Credit Rating Agencies; Credit Ratings; Rating Adjustments; Rating Disagreement; Geographic Proximity; Soft Information; Credit; Geographic Location; Local Range
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Eliner, Liran, Michael Machokoto, and Anywhere Sikochi. "International Evidence on the Effects of a Local Presence by U.S. Credit Rating Agencies." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-083, February 2020. (Revised August 2021.)
  • September 2023
  • Article

Stock Price Reactions to ESG News: The Role of ESG Ratings and Disagreement

By: George Serafeim and Aaron Yoon
We investigate whether ESG ratings predict future ESG news and the associated market reactions. We find that the consensus rating predicts future news, but its predictive ability diminishes for firms with large disagreement between raters. Relation between news and... View Details
Keywords: ESG; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; ESG Disclosure; ESG Ratings; ESG Reporting; ESG Disclosure Metrics; Sustainability; Investments; Disagreement; Rating Disagreement; Ratings; Environmental Sustainability; Social Issues; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Performance; News; Investment; Financial Markets; Stocks; Price
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Serafeim, George, and Aaron Yoon. "Stock Price Reactions to ESG News: The Role of ESG Ratings and Disagreement." Special Issue on RAST 2022 Conference. Review of Accounting Studies 28, no. 3 (September 2023): 1500–1530.
  • Fall 2024
  • Article

The Credit Rating Agency Market in Africa: Landscape and Future Research Directions

By: Saveshen Pillay and Anywhere Sikochi
We explore the role of credit ratings in global markets and highlight potential opportunities for research on the African credit rating agency market. We trace the evolution of credit ratings and conduct a comprehensive literature review of existing studies globally... View Details
Keywords: Credit Rating; Credit Rating Agencies; Credit; Conflict of Interests; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Financial Markets; Africa
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Pillay, Saveshen, and Anywhere Sikochi. "The Credit Rating Agency Market in Africa: Landscape and Future Research Directions." Journal of Financial Reporting 9, no. 2 (Fall 2024): 103–122.
  • August 2023
  • Article

Do Rating Agencies Behave Defensively for Higher Risk Issuers?

By: Samuel B. Bonsall IV, Kevin Koharki, Pepa Kraft, Karl A. Muller III and Anywhere Sikochi
We examine whether rating agencies act defensively toward issuers with a higher likelihood of default. We find that agencies' qualitative soft rating adjustments are more accurate as issuers' default risk grows, as evidenced by the adjustments leading to lower Type I... View Details
Keywords: Credit Rating Agencies; Soft Rating Adjustments; Default; Credit; Performance Evaluation; Measurement and Metrics; Financial Institutions; Risk Management
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Bonsall, Samuel B., IV, Kevin Koharki, Pepa Kraft, Karl A. Muller III, and Anywhere Sikochi. "Do Rating Agencies Behave Defensively for Higher Risk Issuers?" Management Science 69, no. 8 (August 2023): 4864–4887.
  • September 2008 (Revised September 2011)
  • Background Note

Note: Credit Rating Agencies

By: William E. Fruhan
The note examines the role of credit rating agencies in capital markets, with emphasis on the role of these agencies in the recent credit crisis and recommendations for change. View Details
Keywords: Financial Crisis; Capital Markets; Credit; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Standards
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Fruhan, William E. "Note: Credit Rating Agencies." Harvard Business School Background Note 209-056, September 2008. (Revised September 2011.)
  • 06 Oct 2010
  • News

Rating agency multiplicity

  • March 2025
  • Case

Calyx Global: Rating Carbon Credits

By: Michael W. Toffel and Adam Chen
This case describes how rating agencies and other organizations are seeking to improve the quality of carbon credits sold in the voluntary carbon market to organizations seeking to use them to supplement their internal decarbonization efforts to meet their net zero... View Details
Keywords: Service Design; Certification; Auditing; Auditor Reputation; Carbon Credits; Carbon; Rating Agency Disagreement; Ratings; Climate Change; Business Model; Environmental Sustainability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Conflict of Interests; Reputation; Business Strategy
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Toffel, Michael W., and Adam Chen. "Calyx Global: Rating Carbon Credits." Harvard Business School Case 625-102, March 2025.
  • January 2022
  • Article

Why is Corporate Virtue in the Eye of The Beholder? The Case of ESG Ratings

By: Dane Christensen, George Serafeim and Anywhere Sikochi
Despite the rising use of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings, there is substantial disagreement across rating agencies regarding what rating to give to individual firms. As what drives this disagreement is unclear, we examine whether a firm’s ESG... View Details
Keywords: ESG Ratings; Rating Agency Disagreement; ESG Disclosure; Corporate Social Responsibility; Sustainability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Corporate Disclosure
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Christensen, Dane, George Serafeim, and Anywhere Sikochi. "Why Is Corporate Virtue in the Eye of the Beholder? The Case of ESG Ratings." Accounting Review 97, no. 1 (January 2022): 147–175.
  • October 2011 (Revised April 2013)
  • Case

Kroll Bond Rating Agency

The established credit raters were criticized for inflating the mortgage credit bubble that imploded in 2008. A new rating agency, KBRA, is considering how to capitalize on the opportunity this presents and how to enter the industry. A small group of managers have to... View Details
Keywords: Financial Instruments; Financial Management; Financial Services Industry
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Becker, Bo. "Kroll Bond Rating Agency." Harvard Business School Case 212-034, October 2011. (Revised April 2013.)
  • January 2012 (Revised March 2012)
  • Teaching Note

Kroll Bond Rating Agency (TN)

Keywords: Bonds
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Becker, Bo. "Kroll Bond Rating Agency (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 212-065, January 2012. (Revised March 2012.)
  • 13 May 2010
  • News

How to keep politics out of rating agency reform

  • January 2020
  • Article

The Job Rating Game: Revolving Doors and Analyst Incentives

By: Elisabeth Kempf
Investment banks frequently hire analysts from rating agencies. While many argue that this "revolving door" creates captured analysts, it can also create incentives to improve accuracy. To study this issue, I construct an original dataset, linking analysts to their... View Details
Keywords: Credit Rating Agencies; Investment Banking; Recruitment; Performance Evaluation; Financial Services Industry
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Kempf, Elisabeth. "The Job Rating Game: Revolving Doors and Analyst Incentives." Journal of Financial Economics 135, no. 1 (January 2020): 41–67.
  • April 2012
  • Case

Credit Rating Agency Reform in the US and EU

By: Robert C. Pozen and Brian Conroy
The purpose of this note is to explore reform options for the credit rating industry. The note examines the ways in which credit rating agencies contributed to the recent financial crisis, particularly through ratings of securitized products and sovereign debt. It... View Details
Keywords: Debt Securities; Financial Condition; Standards; Financial Crisis; Corporate Finance; Financial Services Industry; United States; European Union
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Pozen, Robert C., and Brian Conroy. "Credit Rating Agency Reform in the US and EU." Harvard Business School Case 312-127, April 2012.
  • Fast Answer

Securitization process and credit rating agencies

What resources are available on the securitization process, credit rating agencies and European covered bonds?   Databases Bloomberg - Use Mortgages function to get information on various forms of... View Details
  • December 2021
  • Article

Partisan Professionals: Evidence from Credit Rating Analysts

By: Elisabeth Kempf and Margarita Tsoutsoura
Partisan perception affects the actions of professionals in the financial sector. Using a novel dataset linking credit rating analysts to party affiliations from voter records, we show that analysts who are not affiliated with the U.S. president’s party downward-adjust... View Details
Keywords: Political Affiliation; Credit Rating Agencies; Political Partisanship; Political Elections; Perception; Credit
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Kempf, Elisabeth, and Margarita Tsoutsoura. "Partisan Professionals: Evidence from Credit Rating Analysts." Journal of Finance 76, no. 6 (December 2021): 2805–2856.
  • August 2024
  • Article

Not a One-Trick Pony: Price Impact of Rating Agency Information

By: Michael Machokoto and Anywhere Sikochi
Prior literature on the informational role of credit rating agencies has largely focused on announcements by the rating agencies regarding rating actions. We take a tangent in this paper and examine the relevance of rating agencies' other information disclosures beyond... View Details
Keywords: Credit; Investment Return; Financial Reporting
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Machokoto, Michael, and Anywhere Sikochi. "Not a One-Trick Pony: Price Impact of Rating Agency Information." Art. 111837. Economics Letters 241 (August 2024).
  • 31 Aug 2009
  • Research & Ideas

Why Competition May Not Improve Credit Rating Agencies

In the run-up to the global financial crisis, credit rating agencies gave high marks to such risky financial vehicles as collateralized debt obligations, which few people understood. It has been argued that... View Details
Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services
  • 09 Mar 2021
  • Working Paper Summaries

Stock Price Reactions to ESG News: The Role of ESG Ratings and Disagreement

Keywords: by George Serafeim and Aaron Yoon; Financial Services
  • 2018
  • Working Paper

Corporate Refinancing, Covenants, and the Agency Cost of Debt

By: Daniel Green
How valuable are restrictive debt covenants in reducing the agency costs of debt? I exploit the revealed preference decision to refinance fixed-coupon bonds, which weighs observable interest rate savings against the unobservable costs of a change in restrictive... View Details
Keywords: Covenants; Refinancing; Corporate Bonds; Agency Costs; Debt Policy; Borrowing and Debt; Bonds; Interest Rates
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Green, Daniel. "Corporate Refinancing, Covenants, and the Agency Cost of Debt." Working Paper, 2018. (Revise and Resubmit, Journal of Finance.)
  • May 13, 2010
  • Column

How to Keep Politics out of Rating Agency Reform

By: Robert C. Pozen
Keywords: Government and Politics; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms
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Pozen, Robert C. "How to Keep Politics out of Rating Agency Reform." FT.com (May 13, 2010).
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