<story><title>Moody&apos;s downgrades US banking: ‘rapidly deteriorating operating environment’</title><url>https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/14/moodys-cuts-outlook-on-us-banking-system-to-negative-citing-rapidly-deteriorating-operating-environment.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>dpkirchner</author><text>It&amp;#x27;s really hard to take Moody&amp;#x27;s seriously following their ratings for garbage MBSs.&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Credit_rating_agencies_and_the_subprime_crisis#Competitive_pressure_to_lower_standards&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Credit_rating_agencies_and_the...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just a complete garbage company that is rotten to the core. Hell, its president is still the same person that was in charge before and during the recession caused, in large part, by his choices.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>janalsncm</author><text>There’s definitely an unholy relationship between banks, rating agencies, and regulators. Just like Art appraisers, agreeable ones eat a lot better than skeptical ones.&lt;p&gt;But it also reminds me of the joke: if the Pope tells you he believes in God that just means he’s doing his job. If he tells you he’s beginning to have doubts, maybe he’s onto something.</text></comment>
<story><title>Moody&apos;s downgrades US banking: ‘rapidly deteriorating operating environment’</title><url>https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/14/moodys-cuts-outlook-on-us-banking-system-to-negative-citing-rapidly-deteriorating-operating-environment.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>dpkirchner</author><text>It&amp;#x27;s really hard to take Moody&amp;#x27;s seriously following their ratings for garbage MBSs.&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Credit_rating_agencies_and_the_subprime_crisis#Competitive_pressure_to_lower_standards&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Credit_rating_agencies_and_the...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just a complete garbage company that is rotten to the core. Hell, its president is still the same person that was in charge before and during the recession caused, in large part, by his choices.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>6stringmerc</author><text>You are correct and also wrong concurrently due to it being such a large organization with fingers in too many kitchens to be responsible.&lt;p&gt;They have done good work in certain fields and are not the only game in town. Are the other agencies any better? My experience is a big phat NOPE same porn-set-relationship-odor in the business for my taste. There are minors in munis that stick to being legit, but ratings are ephemeral the moment they&amp;#x27;re published anyway.&lt;p&gt;Funny you don&amp;#x27;t mention AIG and how nobody there went to jail. I even know of one guy who back-dated securities to help out a buddy. Using taxpayer money. The industry is rife for a 70% pay haircut so real people can do real work in the real world. Finance itself shouldn&amp;#x27;t be an industry, it&amp;#x27;s a service.&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#x27;s hard for me to take anything seriously which is why I prefer the barter system and being an outlaw from society and only dropping in when I need. All of this is a sad, broken joke with no viable paths upward. Not yet at least.</text></comment>