The company Fitch Ltd Ratings. is an agency of financial Notation international, American and British, based at the same time with New York and London. It is smallest of the three NRSRO ( Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations , nationally recognized organizations of financial and statistical evaluation) recognized by the SEC American (Securities and Exchange Commission); its competitors are Standard & Poor' S (S&P) and Moody' S.

The company was rested by John Knowles Fitch on December 24th, 1913 in New York under the name Fitch Publishing Company . It amalgamated with the company IBCA Limited , based at London, in December 1997, thus passing under the control of the holding Frenchwoman Fimalac. In 2000, Fitch Ratings acquired the companies Duff & Phelps Credit Rating Co. (based with Chicago) and Thomson BankWatch .

Notation of the long-term debt

Fitch Ratings uses a classification very close to that of S&P. In addition to the notes below, it also uses intermediate notes with the signs “+” and “-”, for example: BBB+, BBB-.

Investment category

• AAA : better quality

• AA: high fork
• a: higher notation - the quality of the credit can however be influenced by the economic situation
• BBB: average, satisfactory notation

Speculative category

• BB : fork the high - speculative Elements

• b: average speculative notation - financial position can vary
• CCC: vulnerable, requires favorable economic conditions to respect its engagements
• DC: very speculative and very risky obligation
• C: highly vulnerable, in bankruptcy or late of payments, but continues the payments on the obligations
• D: non-payment on the obligations, Fitch estimates that the majority or the totality of the obligations will be unpaid
• NR: not noted ( not rated )

Notation of the current liability

• F1: better quality; “F1+” indicates an exceptionally strong capacity
• F2: good quality
• F3: acceptable quality
speculative
• b:
• C: strong risk of defect
• D: lacking on all its financial obligations