What is an AAA Credit Rating? Definition and Example | FBS Glossary (2024)

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What is an AAA Credit Rating? Definition and Example | FBS Glossary? ›

'AAA' ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

The S&P and Fitch AAA ratings are the highest assigned to any debt issuer. An AAA rating is the equivalent of the Aaa rating issued by Moody's. AAA ratings are issued to investment-grade debt that has a high level of creditworthiness with the strongest capacity to repay investors.

A credit rating is an opinion of a particular credit agency regarding the ability and willingness an entity (government, business, or individual) to fulfill its financial obligations in completeness and within the established due dates. A credit rating also signifies the likelihood a debtor will default.

Aaa Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk. Aa Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk. A Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

What does AAA stand for? AAA stands for the American Automobile Association. The organization got its start in 1902 when nine independent motor clubs across the country banded together to create a national motoring association.

Highest credit quality

'AAA' ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments.

An obligor rated 'AAA' has extremely strong capacity to meet its financial commitments. 'AAA' is the highest issuer credit rating assigned by Standard & Poor's. An obligor rated 'AA' has very strong capacity to meet its financial commitments.

Default, in plain terms, is a failure to fulfil an obligation. All credit rating agencies agree that a missed payment amounts to a default. However, the point in time at which the payment will be deemed by the rating agency to have been 'missed' can differ.

Benefits of a AAA Rating

The low cost of borrowing adds a competitive advantage to firms by enabling them to receive credit easily to boost business development. Bond with AAA ratings are less likely to default on principal repayments or interest payments.

Credit ratings range from the highest credit quality on one end to default or "junk" on the other. A triple-A (AAA or AAa) is the highest credit quality, and C or D (depending on the agency issuing the rating) is the lowest or junk quality.

What is a credit rating for dummies? ›

A credit score is a three-digit number, usually on a scale of 300 to 850, that estimates how likely you are to repay borrowed money and pay bills.

Currently there are only two companies in the United States with an AAA credit rating: Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson.

A “AAA” fund rating can give treasury professionals comfort that they are investing in the highest quality fund, which may also be helpful for satisfying internal investment policy guidelines.

Rating agencies carry out weekly reviews of rated money market funds and annual onsite visits to fund managers. To achieve a “AAA” rating, money market funds must meet certain investment criteria regarding maturity, credit rating and diversification of securities and issuers.

Basic Info. US Corporate AAA Effective Yield is at 4.95%, compared to 4.92% the previous market day and 4.45% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 4.06%.

Home / Economy / Articles / What is the US credit rating, and what does its downgrade mean? On August 1, 2023, Fitch Ratings, one of the country's three major credit rating agencies, announced that it had downgraded the US credit rating from AAA to AA+.

Standard & Poor's and Fitch assign bond credit ratings of AAA, AA, A, BBB, BB, B, CCC, CC, C, D. Currently there are only two companies in the United States with an AAA credit rating: Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson.

S&P ratings are issued to long-term issuers of credit and insurance companies on a letter-based scale. The first rating is AAA, while the second highest is AA. Anything that falls in the A class is considered high quality, and the debt issuer has a strong likelihood of meeting its financial obligations.