{
 "@context": "https://schema.org",
 "@type": "DefinedTerm",
 "@id": "https://wulfkaal.github.io/entities/rating-agencies",
 "identifier": "kaal:entity:rating-agencies",
 "name": "Rating agencies",
 "termCode": "rating-agencies",
 "inDefinedTermSet": {
  "@id": "https://wulfkaal.github.io/entities/index.json"
 },
 "author": {
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Wulf A. Kaal",
  "identifier": "https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0757-275X"
 },
 "dateModified": "2026-07-29",
 "canonicalForm": "https://wulfkaal.github.io/entities/rating-agencies.md",
 "sha256": "4043f203c1cf5762bfa058e9671a5c115edbc6c8de10deb819aaba32a625324f",
 "additionalProperty": [
  {
   "@type": "PropertyValue",
   "name": "status",
   "value": "derived"
  },
  {
   "@type": "PropertyValue",
   "name": "claim_count",
   "value": 2
  },
  {
   "@type": "PropertyValue",
   "name": "work_count",
   "value": 1
  },
  {
   "@type": "PropertyValue",
   "name": "year_span",
   "value": [
    "2009",
    "2009"
   ]
  },
  {
   "@type": "PropertyValue",
   "name": "non_current_claims",
   "value": 0
  }
 ],
 "subjectOf": [
  {
   "@type": "Claim",
   "@id": "https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/1428387-023",
   "identifier": "kaal:claim:1428387-023",
   "text": "Because rating agencies are paid by CDO issuers while the ratings' main users are buyers, the agency as agent has an incentive to issue high ratings to satisfy its issuer principal, and the buyer has no means of controlling the agency other than through its relationship with the issuer.",
   "abstract": "The rating agency as the agent would probably have an incentive to issue high ratings to satisfy the issuer of a CDO as its principal. The buyer as the beneficiary of the rating has no means of controlling the rating agencies and its ratings other than through its relationship with the issuer.",
   "citation": "Kaal, Hedge Fund Valuation Retailization, Regulation, and Investor Suitability (2009). SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1428387",
   "datePublished": "2009",
   "claim_type": "mechanism",
   "confidence": "argued",
   "is_failure_mode": false,
   "scope_conditions": [
    "under the issuer-pays model for structured finance ratings"
   ],
   "source_pdf_sha256": "6aa3a280dc6750723be2389f3af2aabf3a16c4ce20e49fcdaddd7f2ea95a67aa",
   "status": "current"
  },
  {
   "@type": "Claim",
   "@id": "https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/1428387-024",
   "identifier": "kaal:claim:1428387-024",
   "text": "The issuer-buyer relationship and the incentives inside it are unlikely to be able to adequately control the principal-agent relationship between issuer and rating agency so as to ensure accurate ratings.",
   "abstract": "It seems unlikely that the issuer-buyer relationship and the incentives inherent within could adequately control the principal-agent relationship between issuer and rating agency to ensure accurate ratings.",
   "citation": "Kaal, Hedge Fund Valuation Retailization, Regulation, and Investor Suitability (2009). SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1428387",
   "datePublished": "2009",
   "claim_type": "failure",
   "confidence": "argued",
   "is_failure_mode": true,
   "scope_conditions": [
    "under the issuer-pays rating model for CDOs"
   ],
   "source_pdf_sha256": "6aa3a280dc6750723be2389f3af2aabf3a16c4ce20e49fcdaddd7f2ea95a67aa",
   "status": "current"
  }
 ],
 "description": "2 claims in the published works of Wulf A. Kaal carry the concept tag 'rating-agencies'. Derived node: a roster, not an adjudicated definition."
}