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Credit Rating Quotes

Officials weigh in on downgrades, debt, and financial trust.

These quotes come mostly from treasurers and lawmakers describing what a credit rating actually does: reassure investors, rate companies and bonds, or send shockwaves through government funds when it drops for the first time in history. The topic connects naturally to our Bonds quotes page.

Reforming PERA will strengthen and improve Colorado's all-important long term standing with credit rating agencies.

Quotes by Walker Stapleton

Our men and women in uniform make enough sacrifices for our country. Their credit rating should not be one of those sacrifices.

Quotes by Sherrod Brown

We have got this Damocles' sword of Standard and Poor's hanging over us, with the commitment they have made to review Britain's credit rating in the summer of 2010 after the general election. Everybody in Britain has a vital interest...

Quotes by Philip Hammond

Today, credit rating agencies rate companies, countries and bonds.

Quotes by Mike Fitzpatrick

Abandoning Quotes

We have new rules that give shareholders the ability to vote on executive compensation. We have new rules for asset-backed securities. We have new rules around credit rating agencies.

Quotes by Mary Schapiro

I'm the treasurer of the state of Ohio, where, when the United States credit rating was downgraded for the first time in American history, and 14 government funds around the country were downgraded, we earned the highest rating we could...

Quotes by Josh Mandel

Before the CFPB, there was no single agency or entity within the federal government tasked with protecting Americans from predatory or negligent practices of banks, credit card companies, mortgage lenders, payday lenders, credit rating agencies and other financial service businesses.

Quotes by Joe Sestak

We may very well be faced with the choice of retaining the AAA credit rating or abandoning some of our key infrastructure projects, which are about jobs for the future. I will choose jobs in that equation every time.

Quotes by Jay Weatherill

The U.S. has a law on the books called the debt limit, but the name is misleading. The debt limit started in 1917 for the purpose of facilitating more national debt, not reducing it. It still serves that purpose. It's...

Quotes by David Malpass

Ability Quotes

On any measure, Spain's bank rescue has been a disaster. A hundred million euros have been added to the national debt, ten-year bonds are at a record high and the country's credit rating has been downgraded three notches.

Quotes by Daniel Hannan

Debt, we've learned, is the match that lights the fire of every crisis. Every crisis has its own set of villains - pick your favorite: bankers, regulators, central bankers, politicians, overzealous consumers, credit rating agencies - but all require one...

Quotes by Andrew Ross Sorkin

Minnesotans lost their jobs because the credit rating agencies didn't do the only job they're supposed to have, the only job they had, which is to give accurate, objective ratings to financial products.

Quotes by Al Franken

Frequently Asked Questions

What do credit rating agencies do, according to these quotes?
One quote explains plainly that credit rating agencies rate companies, countries, and bonds, giving investors a shorthand for judging financial risk before committing money.
Is a real credit rating downgrade mentioned in this collection?
Yes, one quote from a state treasurer recalls a moment when the country's overall credit rating fell for the very first time on record, an event that also pulled numerous government funds down with it.
How does pension reform connect to credit rating in these quotes?
One quote argues that reforming a state pension system like PERA is essential to protecting the state's long-term standing with credit rating agencies.
What financial reforms are mentioned alongside credit ratings?
New rules covering shareholder votes on executive compensation and asset-backed securities are mentioned alongside stronger oversight of credit rating agencies themselves.
Why do credit rating downgrades matter so much to governments?
A downgrade can raise borrowing costs and shake investor confidence, which is why one treasurer describes the nationwide downgrade of government funds as such a significant event.

Other lines describe the reforms built in response, from shareholder votes on executive pay to new oversight of the agencies themselves. For related financial perspectives, browse our Ability quotes and Abject quotes collections.