Decision on the Use of Unsolicited Credit Assessments

This Decision confirms the use of unsolicited credit assessments assigned by certain External Credit Assessment Institutions' (ECAIs) for calculating institutions' capital requirements. The conclusions drawn by the EBA are based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis on both solicited and unsolicited ratings of ECAIs. This analysis has not identified any evidence of differences in the quality of solicited and unsolicited credit ratings for a given ECAI, or that an ECAI has used an unsolicited credit assessments to put pressure on the rated entity to place an order for a credit assessment or other services. The Decision is part of the Single Rulebook in banking and will ensure regulatory harmonisation across the European Union (EU) regarding the use of unsolicited credit ratings for determining institutions' own funds requirements.