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Do Regulations Based on Credit Ratings Affect a Firm's Cost of Capital?

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  • Darren J. Kisgen
  • Philip E. Strahan

Abstract

In February 2003, the SEC officially certified a fourth credit rating agency, Dominion Bond Rating Service ("DBRS"), for use in bond investment regulations. After DBRS certification, bond yields change in the direction implied by the firm's DBRS rating relative to its ratings from other certified rating agencies. A one notch better DBRS rating corresponds to a 39 basis point reduction in a firm's debt cost of capital. The impact on yields is driven by cases where the DBRS rating is better than other ratings and is larger among bonds rated near the investment-grade cutoff. These findings indicate that ratings-based regulations on bond investment affect a firm's cost of debt capital.

Suggested Citation

  • Darren J. Kisgen & Philip E. Strahan, 2009. "Do Regulations Based on Credit Ratings Affect a Firm's Cost of Capital?," NBER Working Papers 14890, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:14890
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Engelberg, Joseph & Gao, Pengjie & Parsons, Christopher A., 2012. "Friends with money," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(1), pages 169-188.
    2. Dion Bongaerts & K. J. Martijn Cremers & William N. Goetzmann, 2012. "Tiebreaker: Certification and Multiple Credit Ratings," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 67(1), pages 113-152, February.
    3. Mo, Kun & Suvankulov, Farrukh & Griffiths, Sophie, 2021. "Financial distress and commodity hedging: Evidence from Canadian oil firms," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    4. Ashcraft, A. & Goldsmith-Pinkham, P. & Vickery, J., 2010. "MBS Ratings and the Mortgage Credit Boom," Other publications TiSEM aea4b6fb-eb57-49d4-a347-f, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    5. Philippe Bergevin, 2010. "Addicted to Ratings: The Case for Reducing Governments’ Reliance on Credit Ratings," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 130, May.
    6. Doherty, Neil A. & Kartasheva, Anastasia V. & Phillips, Richard D., 2012. "Information effect of entry into credit ratings market: The case of insurers' ratings," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(2), pages 308-330.
    7. Kun Mo & Farrukh Suvankulov & Sophie Griffiths, 2019. "Financial Distress and Hedging: Evidence from Canadian Oil Firms," Discussion Papers 2019-4, Bank of Canada.
    8. Dion Bongaerts & Martijn Cremers & William Goetzmann, 2008. "Tiebreaker: Certification and Multiple Credit Ratings," Yale School of Management Working Papers amz2394, Yale School of Management, revised 01 Sep 2009.

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    JEL classification:

    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G2 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services
    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance

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