We explore the impact of director social capital on credit ratings. Social capital is often associated with trust and cultivated through one's personal networks. We show that firms which employ well-connected directors benefit with a higher credit rating. This result is amplified for firms that...

We study the capital structure reactions of firms that have been added to Standard & Poor's CreditWatch list in order to test the role of credit ratings in firm financial decisions. Survey evidence by Graham and Harvey (2001) indicates that CFOs consider credit ratings as the second most...

This paper revisits recent investigations into the role credit ratings play in the marginal financing behavior of firms. While it has long been documented that credit ratings may be an important determinant of firm capital structure policy, academics have only recently subjected this motivation...

I attempt to add to the credit rating literature by empirically testing a hitherto untapped sample. While increased attention is being paid to credit rating agencies through academic studies, the examination of non-rated firms has yet to be investigated. An analysis of this subset of firms can...