Winner of multiple research awards for his investigations in banking and finance, Gianluca Mattrrocci has published on subjects as diverse as real estate finance, bibliometrics, and hedge funds. His work on rating agencies derives from his investigations of the Italian banking industry and their portfolios.

"This book provides a detail exposition of credit rating agency industry with a global emphasis. The coverage of non-US credit agencies and their respective markets is excellent." --Kam C. Chan, Western Kentucky University"Mattarocci's interesting monograph provides new insights into the workings of the ratings industry by exploring the agencies' business models, organisational structures and, most importantly, their independence." --Sandra Einig, Oxford Brookes University "Rating agencies play an important role in modern finance. Mattarocci is the first to provide a comprehensive overview of the business model of rating agencies. This knowledge is crucial in understanding the recent financial crisis as well as the current regulatory regime." --Peter Posch, University of Ulm

• Introduction1. Rating agencies and the rating service2. Rating and financial markets3. The rating market4. Economic and financial equilibrium of rating agencies5. Rating agencies’ pricing policies6. Organizational structure and rating agency independence7. The economic independence of rating agencies

Winner of multiple research awards for his investigations in banking and finance, Gianluca Mattrrocci has published on subjects as diverse as real estate finance, bibliometrics, and hedge funds. His work on rating agencies derives from his investigations of the Italian banking industry and their portfolios.

"This book provides a detail exposition of credit rating agency industry with a global emphasis. The coverage of non-US credit agencies and their respective markets is excellent." --Kam C. Chan, Western Kentucky University"Mattarocci's interesting monograph provides new insights into the workings of the ratings industry by exploring the agencies' business models, organisational structures and, most importantly, their independence." --Sandra Einig, Oxford Brookes University "Rating agencies play an important role in modern finance. Mattarocci is the first to provide a comprehensive overview of the business model of rating agencies. This knowledge is crucial in understanding the recent financial crisis as well as the current regulatory regime." --Peter Posch, University of Ulm

• Introduction1. Rating agencies and the rating service2. Rating and financial markets3. The rating market4. Economic and financial equilibrium of rating agencies5. Rating agencies’ pricing policies6. Organizational structure and rating agency independence7. The economic independence of rating agencies