EGANJONES RATING COMPANY EJR

A well-known rating agency that evaluates bonds of all kinds. Egan-Jones Rating Company (EJR) rates corporate debt of all kinds, from high-grade issues to high-yield debt. EJR is funded entirely by investors and not issuers, which prevents possible conflicts of interest when rating debt.

EJR was founded in 1995 and was granted NRSRO status by the SEC in 2007. Sean Egan spoke to Congress regarding this matter in 2008, saying that issuers of complex securities were contributing to the conflicts by "shopping" for a rating among the various ratings agencies. He encouraged legislators to promote investor-funded agencies to combat this type of practice.