标普和解后穆迪成调查焦点
With S&P agreeing to pay $1.375bn to settle allegations that it boosted mortgage securities ratings, attention has switched to Moody’s.
在标普(S&P)同意支付13.75亿美元了结对其提高抵押贷款证券评级的指控之后，人们对评级机构的注意力转到了穆迪(Moody's)身上。Attorneys-general in Connecticut and Mississippi said they are among the prosecutors stepping up their examination of the business. They were among the authorities that settled with Standard & Poor’s, the largest of the rating agencies, which agreed to pay the record sum to the Department of Justice, 19 US states and the District of Columbia.
多家检查机构已开始加紧调查穆迪，康涅狄格州和密西西比州的总检察长表示他们就是其中两家。他们也是多家已与标普达成和解的检查机构之一。标普是全球最大评级机构，已同意向美国司法部(DoJ)支付6.875亿美元和解金、向美国19个州和哥伦比亚特区支付6.875亿美元和解金。所有这些机构都起诉了标普。
Federal prosecutors recently interviewed Moody’s officials but it is unclear whether the long-running probe will result in a lawsuit, according to people familiar with the case.
知情人士表示，近来联邦检察官已约谈过穆迪高管，但穆迪在旷日持久的调查之后是否会被起诉，目前尚不明朗。
The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, which issued a report on the many causes of the credit crisis, used Moody’s as a case study for the rating agencies’ role in attracting even conservative investors into mortgage-related securities. The Commission cited former Moody’s executives who argued the company became too focused on winning market share in ratings — a characterisation the company has always denied.
美国金融危机调查委员会(Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission)在分析评级机构如何吸引投资者、尤其是保守型投资者购买抵押贷款相关证券的做法时，对穆迪进行了案例分析。该委员会曾发布一份有关信贷危机多种根源的报告，援引了穆迪前高管声称该公司过于关注赢得评级市场份额的话，但穆迪一直否认这是自己的行事风格。With respect to the investigations from the state attorneys-general, Moody’s said: “We continue to believe that the cases are without merit.”
对于来自多个州的总检察长的调查，穆迪表示：“我们仍然认为，这些调查毫无意义。”The agreement also meant vindication for the DoJ, which was accused of suing S&P in 2013 in retaliation for its downgrade of US government debt in 2011.
标普的解协议意味着美国司法部洗清了冤屈。曾有人指责司法部于2013年起诉标普，是为了报复标普在2011年调降美国国债评级。
