Rating Advisory - Overview
Medium sized companies and savings banks are beginning to discover the primary market with its large range of debt capital alternatives such as promissory notes (Schuldscheindarlehen), covered bonds (Pfandbriefe) and corporate bonds. However, strict rules apply in the international capital market, requiring institutional investors to invest only in officially rated notes and bonds. This means that a rating is indispensable for any institution wishing to raise capital in the capital market.
WestLB's rating advisory service already provides valuable support long before an official rating application has been filed. Experienced rating advisors, who often used to work as analysts for one of the internationally acknowledged rating agencies, will provide you with their knowledge and comprehensively prepare you for the rating procedure.
In particular a debut rating will demand a high willingness to learn as in Europe the experiences with rating agencies and their approach are low. Thus, the rating advisory concept is specialised on finding solutions even for complex rating issues. These include, inter alia,
- Identification and weighting of relevant rating factors
- Benchmarking against comparable companies
- Capital structure advisory
- Strategies as to how to improve a rating (strategic, operational, balance sheet)