{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/77816"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/77816","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Financial reporting quality and uncertainty about credit risk among the ratings agencies","abstract":"I study whether financial reporting quality resolves uncertainty about credit risk by examining how it affects disagreement between rating agencies. I find better reporting quality is associated with less uncertainty about credit risk as captured by disagreement about ratings between the agencies. Further, my results are consistent with reporting quality becoming more important in reducing uncertainty when an agency does not have access to private information. Finally, I examine whether SFAS 142, which ended goodwill amortization and requires managerial estimates to determine potential impairments of goodwill, affected uncertainty about credit risk. I find increased uncertainty between agencies about the goodwill account for firms with significant goodwill after the implementation of SFAS 142. I contribute to the literature on the role of reporting quality in debt markets and on debt market information intermediaries.","abstract_html":"I study whether financial reporting quality resolves uncertainty about credit risk by examining how it affects disagreement between rating agencies. I find better reporting quality is associated with less uncertainty about credit risk as captured by disagreement about ratings between the agencies. Further, my results are consistent with reporting quality becoming more important in reducing uncertainty when an agency does not have access to private information. Finally, I examine whether SFAS 142, which ended goodwill amortization and requires managerial estimates to determine potential impairments of goodwill, affected uncertainty about credit risk. I find increased uncertainty between agencies about the goodwill account for firms with significant goodwill after the implementation of SFAS 142. I contribute to the literature on the role of reporting quality in debt markets and on debt market information intermediaries.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Akins, Brian Keith"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Sloan School of Management.","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Joseph Weber."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012","date_published":"2012","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:54Z","subjects":["Sloan School of Management."],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."],"rights_urls":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77816","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Joseph Weber."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Sloan School of Management."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.other","label":"Dc Contributor Other","values":["Sloan School of Management."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Akins, Brian Keith"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2013-03-13T15:50:32Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2013-03-13T15:50:32Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2012"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Sloan School of Management."]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. 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I find better reporting quality is associated with less uncertainty about credit risk as captured by disagreement about ratings between the agencies. Further, my results are consistent with reporting quality becoming more important in reducing uncertainty when an agency does not have access to private information. Finally, I examine whether SFAS 142, which ended goodwill amortization and requires managerial estimates to determine potential impairments of goodwill, affected uncertainty about credit risk. I find increased uncertainty between agencies about the goodwill account for firms with significant goodwill after the implementation of SFAS 142. I contribute to the literature on the role of reporting quality in debt markets and on debt market information intermediaries."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Financial reporting quality and uncertainty about credit risk among the ratings agencies"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Joseph Weber."],"dc:contributor.department":["Sloan School of Management."],"dc:contributor.other":["Sloan School of Management."],"dc:creator":["Akins, Brian Keith"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2013-03-13T15:50:32Z"],"dc:date.available":["2013-03-13T15:50:32Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2012"],"dc:description":["Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2012.","Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (p. 46-53)."],"dc:description.abstract":["I study whether financial reporting quality resolves uncertainty about credit risk by examining how it affects disagreement between rating agencies. I find better reporting quality is associated with less uncertainty about credit risk as captured by disagreement about ratings between the agencies. Further, my results are consistent with reporting quality becoming more important in reducing uncertainty when an agency does not have access to private information. Finally, I examine whether SFAS 142, which ended goodwill amortization and requires managerial estimates to determine potential impairments of goodwill, affected uncertainty about credit risk. I find increased uncertainty between agencies about the goodwill account for firms with significant goodwill after the implementation of SFAS 142. I contribute to the literature on the role of reporting quality in debt markets and on debt market information intermediaries."],"dc:description.degree":["Ph.D."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77816"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."],"dc:rights.uri":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"dc:subject":["Sloan School of Management."],"dc:title":["Financial reporting quality and uncertainty about credit risk among the ratings agencies"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:54Z"}