I compare issuer-paid ratings, represented by Standard & Poor's (SP i.e., firms with a large bond issuance, larger firms, and low-performing firms. Further, I find evidence of a greater accuracy… Click to show full abstract
I compare issuer-paid ratings, represented by Standard & Poor's (SP i.e., firms with a large bond issuance, larger firms, and low-performing firms. Further, I find evidence of a greater accuracy of S&P ratings relative to EJR ratings in the post-Act period as shown by the lower probability of large credit rating changes and rating reversals. Finally, I show that issuer-paid ratings are more concerned about providing timely ratings in the post-Dodd-Frank period, thus protecting their reputation as leading information providers, than investor-paid ratings. My results are robust to a wide battery of robustness tests.
               
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