Credit Ratings

Credit Risk provides both long-term and short-term credit ratings for each bank where available, giving you further data on which to build and enhance your credit agreements.

Credit ratings are provided directly from Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings, and our dedicated team are in continual contact with these agencies to verify the information supplied.

Moody's®

Moody's Investors Service, a leading global credit rating, research and risk analysis firm, publishes credit opinions, research and ratings on fixed income securities, issuers of securities and other credit obligations. Credit ratings and research help investors analyze the credit risks associated with fixed-income securities.

Focussing on fundamental factors and key business drivers relevant to an issuer's long-term and short-term risk profile, Moody's ratings provide investors with a simple system of gradation by which relative creditworthiness of securities may be noted.

You can find more detailed Moody's credit ratings definitions on our Moody's credit ratings page.

Moody's ® is a registered trademark.

Standard & Poor's

Standard & Poor's provides ratings on a broad range of financial institutions including banks; savings institutions; securities firms; mortgage institutions; finance companies; government-sponsored enterprises; asset managers; exchange and clearing corporations; and credit unions. Standard & Poor's provides credit ratings on financial institutions as well as the specific debt instruments they issue.

Credit ratings reflects Standard & Poor's view of the obligor's capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.

Further details of Standard & Poor's credit ratings definitions can be found on our Standard & Poor's credit ratings page.

Fitch

Ratings assigned by Fitch are opinions based on the ability to meet financial commitments, for example, interest, dividends or counterparty obligations.

Ratings are not facts, and therefore cannot be described as being "accurate" or "inaccurate". Users should refer to the definition of each individual rating for guidance on the dimensions of risk covered by such rating.

For further information on Fitch credit rating definitions, please visit our Fitch credit ratings page.