FORM 25-101F1
Designated Rating Organization
Application and Annual Filing
Instructions
(1) Terms used in this form but not defined in this form have the meaning given to them in the Instrument.
(2) Unless otherwise specified, the information in this form must be presented as at the last day of the applicant’s most recently completed financial year. If necessary, the applicant must update the information provided so it is not misleading when it is filed. For information presented as at any date other than the last day of the applicant’s most recently completed financial year, specify the relevant date in the form.
(3) Applicants are reminded that it is an offence under securities legislation to give false or misleading information on this form.
(4) Applicants may
apply to the securities regulatory authority to hold in confidence portions of
this form which disclose intimate financial, personal or other information.
Securities regulatory authorities will consider the application and accord
confidential treatment to those sections to the extent permitted by law.
(5) When this form is used for an annual filing, the term "applicant" means the designated rating organization.
Item 1. Name of Applicant
State the name of the applicant.
Item 2. Organization and Structure of Applicant
Describe the organizational structure of the applicant, including, as applicable, an organizational chart that identifies the ultimate and intermediate parent companies, subsidiaries, and material affiliates of the applicant (if any); an organizational chart showing the divisions, departments, and business units of the applicant; and an organizational chart showing the managerial structure of the applicant, including the compliance officer referred to in section 12 of the Instrument. Provide detailed information regarding the applicant’s legal structure and ownership.
Item 3. DRO Affiliates
Provide the name, address and governing jurisdiction of each affiliate that is (or, in the case of an applicant, proposes to be) a DRO affiliate.
Item 4. Rating Distribution Model
Briefly describe how the applicant makes its credit ratings readily accessible for free or for a fee. If a person must pay a fee to obtain a credit rating made readily accessible by the applicant, provide a fee schedule or describe the price(s) charged.
Item 5. Procedures and Methodologies
Briefly describe the procedures and methodologies used by the applicant to determine credit ratings, including unsolicited credit ratings. The description must be sufficiently detailed to provide an understanding of the processes employed by the applicant in determining credit ratings, including, as applicable:
- policies for determining whether to initiate a credit rating;
- the public and non-public sources of information used in determining credit ratings, including information and analysis provided by third-party vendors;
- whether and, if so, how information about verification performed on assets underlying or referenced by a security issued by an asset pool or as part of any asset-backed or mortgage-backed securities transaction is relied on in determining credit ratings;
- the quantitative and qualitative models and metrics used to determine credit ratings, including whether and, if so, how assessments of the quality of originators of assets underlying or referenced by a security issued by an asset pool or as part of any asset-backed or mortgage-backed securities transaction factor into the determination of credit ratings;
- the methodologies by which credit ratings of other credit rating agencies are treated to determine credit ratings for securities issued by an asset pool or as part of any asset-backed or mortgaged-backed securities transaction;
- the procedures for interacting with the management of a rated obligor or issuer of rated securities;
- the structure and voting process of committees that review or approve credit ratings;
- procedures for informing rated obligors or issuers of rated securities about credit rating decisions and for appeals of final or pending credit rating decisions; and
- procedures for monitoring, reviewing, and updating credit ratings, including how frequently credit ratings are reviewed, whether different models or criteria are used for ratings surveillance than for determining initial ratings, whether changes made to models and criteria for determining initial ratings are applied retroactively to existing ratings, and whether changes made to models and criteria for performing ratings surveillance are incorporated into the models and criteria for determining initial ratings; and procedures to withdraw, or suspend the maintenance of, a credit rating.
An applicant may provide the location on its website where additional information about the procedures and methodologies is located.
Item 6. Code of Conduct
Unless previously provided, attach a copy of the applicant’s code of conduct.
Item 7. Policies and Procedures re Non-public Information
Unless previously provided, attach a copy of the most recent written policies and procedures established, maintained, and enforced by the applicant to prevent the misuse of material non-public information.
Item 8. Policies and Procedures re Conflicts of Interest
Unless previously provided, attach a copy of the most recent written policies and procedures established with respect to conflicts of interest.
Item 9. Policies and Procedures re Internal Controls
Describe the applicant’s internal control mechanisms designed to ensure quality of its credit rating activities.
Item 10. Policies and Procedures re Books and Records
Describe the applicant’s policies and procedures regarding record-keeping.
Item 11. Ratings Employees
Disclose the following information about the applicant’s ratings employees and the persons who supervise the ratings employees:
- The total number of ratings employees,
- The total number of ratings employees
supervisors,
- A general description of the minimum
qualifications required of the ratings employees, including education
level and work experience (if applicable, distinguish between junior, mid,
and senior level ratings employees), and
- A general description of the minimum qualifications required of the ratings employees supervisors, including education level and work experience.
Item 12. Compliance Officer
Disclose the following information about the compliance officer of the applicant:
- Name,
- Employment history,
- Post secondary education, and
- Whether employed by the applicant full-time or part-time.
Item 13. Specified Revenue
Disclose information, as applicable, regarding the applicant’s aggregate revenue for the most recently completed financial year:
- Revenue from determining and maintaining credit
ratings,
- Revenue from subscribers,
- Revenue from granting licenses or rights to
publish credit ratings, and
- Revenue from all other services and products offered by the credit rating organization (include descriptions of any major sources of revenue).
Include financial information on the revenue of the applicant divided into fees from credit rating and non-credit rating activities, including a comprehensive description of each.
This information is not required to be audited.
Item 14. Credit Rating Users
(a) Disclose a list of the largest users of credit rating services of the applicant by the amount of net revenue earned by the applicant attributable to the user during the most recently completed financial year. First, determine and list the 20 largest issuers and subscribers in terms of net revenue. Next, add to the list any obligor or underwriter that, in terms of net revenue during the financial year, equalled or exceeded the 20th largest issuer or subscriber. In making the list, rank the users in terms of net revenue from largest to smallest and include the net revenue amount for each person. For purposes of this Item:
• "net revenue" means revenue earned by the applicant for any type of service or product provided to the person or company, regardless of whether related to credit rating services, and net of any rebates and allowances the applicant paid or owes to the person or company; and
• "credit rating services" means any of the following: rating an issuer’s securities (regardless of whether the issuer, underwriter, or any other person or company paid for the credit rating) and providing credit ratings, credit ratings data, or credit ratings analysis to a subscriber.
(b) Disclose a list of users of credit rating services whose contribution to the growth rate in the generation of revenue of the applicant in the previous fiscal year exceeded the growth rate in the applicant’s total revenue in that year by a factor of more than 1.5 times. A user must be disclosed only if, in that year, the user accounted for more than 0.25% of the applicant’s worldwide total revenue.
Item 15. Financial Statements
Attach a copy of the audited financial statements of the applicant, which must include a statement of financial position, a statement of comprehensive income, and a statement of changes in equity, for each of the three most recently completed financial years. If the applicant is a division, unit, or subsidiary of a parent company, the applicant may provide audited consolidated financial statements of its parent company.
Item 16. Verification Certificate
Include a certificate of the applicant in the following form:
The undersigned has executed this Form 25-101F1 on behalf of, and on the authority of, [the Applicant]. The undersigned, on behalf of the [Applicant], represents that the information and statements contained in this Form, including appendices and attachments, all of which are part of this Form, are true and correct.
(Date) (Name of the Applicant/Designated Rating Organization)
By: _____________________________
(Print Name and Title)
_____________________________
(Signature)