Financial Institutions

Fitch Ratings offers insightful and comprehensive ratings on more than 3,500 banks around the world. Our financial institution analysts consult with our structured finance and sovereign analysts to ensure a consistent and holistic view of an issuer. It’s that teamwork combined with well-tested, proprietary rating scales that have established Fitch Ratings as the global leader in bank ratings. We are committed to providing investors with the insight and context necessary to assess the credit quality of global and local banks.

The team's rating process utilizes a set of rating scales that are unique to Fitch Ratings.  The Viability Rating, which expresses Fitch Ratings' view of a bank's stand-alone financial profile, is combined with the Support rating to arrive at the more traditionally recognized rating from the 'AAA' scale that is assigned to the issuer and its debt issues.  Fitch Ratings' Support rating provides important insight relative to the likelihood and nature of external support should the financial institution experience financial difficulties. Ratings guidelines are applied to long and short-term foreign currency ratings; long and short-term local currency ratings; and National ratings for emerging markets (non-comparable across borders).

Quantitative aspects of a bank's strengths and weaknesses are reviewed, such as balance sheet integrity, profitability, and risk management. The analysts also evaluate qualitative factors of the institution, such as strategy and quality of management, the environment in which it operates, and the most likely future development of its business. Final rating determinations are made by committees comprised of lead analysts and seasoned independent committee members, including Fitch Ratings senior management.

From our collaborative approach to our distinct rating types, at Fitch Ratings there’s a world behind our bank credit opinions.

Coverage

> commercial banks
> universal banks
> bancassurance
> mortgage banks and savings banks
> building societies
> investment banks & brokerages
> asset managers
> hedge funds
> commercial finance companies
> consumer finance companies
> leasing companies