CRA

Hey everyone, I had a question regarding group selection at a ratings agency-figured this forum was probably the right place. Firstly, I just wanted to know what the group selection process looks like for a full-time program at a CRA. From what little I've heard, at least at Moodys, Fitch and, S&P, the applications are generalist and you are placed after the training program ends. Is this correct? How much say do you have in the process? Secondly, I know there are a lot of different groups that cover vastly different assets, but are there a few groups that tend to have better/worse or more

15 Jul 2019

For starters, a quick intro: -Rising senior at a small but decently ranked non-target LAC in the South -Finance and Econ double major, 3.7 GPA -Taking CFA L1 in December -Soph. Internship in Public Policy and Econ Research -Junior Internship at a mid-sized commercial bank ($30bb in assets). Fairly specialized role mostly doing in-house research similar to what the CRAs do -Good ECs: leadership position in SMIF, Won regional case competition last year My long-term goal is to break into ER or CR. I have a couple of really good connections at a BB in research and plan on going through FT ER

05 Aug 2015

I am reevaluating my career path, any input and advice would be appreciated. How are the exit opportunities for a CFA level 3 candidate working in corporate credit ratings at a CRA for the TMT industry (masters/MBA position with client and c-suite interaction)? Prior to this, I worked a few years at a BB in a portfolio monitoring role (financial analysis and internal credit ratings for a leveraged product group). Interested in asset management in tech/media or corporate finance roles at tech/media firms.

19 Sep 2018

I have a 2nd rounder at CRA, Anyone have any tips or ideas of cases I may receive? What is the best way to go about preparing for the case interview?

18 Oct 2011

Hi All! I'm looking for some advice. I'm currently enrolled in a Top 15 MBA program (part time) while working full time in financial services - more of an operations role. I want to take this opportunity, while I'm still doing my MBA, to make a career transition. I'm looking to make a move to a credit analyst role at a CRA (Moodys or S&P). For the purposes of this discussion, lets assume I am qualified for a Associate Analyst 1 / Lead Analyst type role. I'm curious what kind of experience I would gain and what the exit opportunities would be if I joined one of the following groups: - Corporate

31 May 2019

Hi WSO, I'm a senior at a state school with a decent reputation. I have a 3.6 GPA in accounting and management information systems. My previous internship experience is in back office strategy at GS and at a large Fortune 500 company. I currently have offers from a big 4 and a CRA. At the Big 4 I'll be doing tech consulting for financial services firms. CRA will have me performing research on structured products.

17 Mar 2015

Hi all, I'm a graduate student at one of the top 10 European universities (DACH) and am working part-time for a European CRA's SF team since I began my Master's more than a year ago. I'm going to finish this year, and have been applying to jobs for a taste of the local jobs market before I make a final decision. I already have a few offers, though, and would like some feedback. I have a background in math and financial econometrics, and have a top tier academic publication in portfolio management theory. I am also managing my university's endowment fund and have some shiny recommendations from

06 Mar 2019

Hi, I am wondering about the possible exit opportunities after working as a rating analyst for Big 3 CRA in the Insurance practice in Europe. One obvious change is going directly to work for the insurance company. Which positions at the insurance companies could be the most attractive? Are there any other opportunities besides insurance companies?

08 Jul 2016

I'm inquiring of opinions on DBRS, the credit rating agency. Any insight into the company culture, experiences, feedback specifically for junior level analysts. Thank you!

04 Nov 2018

Hi guys, I have been invited for a case interview at Fitch. They have asked me to complete the credit opinion of a company and have provided their rating criteria and have asked to prepare a power point which I will present to a team of analysts who will challenge my assumptions. Now my questions is am I supposed to come up with a rating grade by completing the entire process using financial model, etc or just provide an overview on the financial health of the company based on Fitch's criteria. Also, if someone has similar experience and can share what kind of questions there were asked that

31 Oct 2018

I will be going to the NYC location. There is going to be a 3 three hour formal interview process, I will be quizzed on excel, and then there is a networking session afterward. I am interested in corporate credit rating. What should I expect? I am a woman from a top 20 public school btw.

23 Oct 2018

Hello. Long time WSO follower here. I'm in between two offers and I was looking to see if I could get some advice, as to which one would be better to achieve my long-term goals. First off, a little background on me. I graduated last year with a degree in Finance from a non-target based in Florida. While there I did a FP&A internship with a software company. Shortly after graduating I moved up to NYC in hopes to get in to Financial Services, more specifically Equity Research. I've been unsuccessful in starting a position in ER so I'm doing my best to position myself for it in the future; i.e. taking the CFA (registered for Level II) and thinking about going back to school after a few years. The two jobs offers I am considering are:

22 Aug 2014

I've been looking around as to the best way to get into economic consulting with one of the big firms (AG,Brattel,CRA) and I think I'm looking at three options: 1) Get my master in applied econ and then apply to boost my chances 2) Work as a research assistant for a couple of years and then go 3) Try to get a job straight from undergrad with my current stats: - Econ major with Stats minor from a non-target respectable state school with a *huge * alumni network. - 3.4 GPA (Still a year to go with lots of room to grow to a 3.5 - Law clerk and public policy internship - Econ Department research

09 May 2018

Hi y'all! I'm currently a first year Masters student. I'm doing management with a specialisation in finance. I have also cleared the CFA L1 and my ultimate aim is to break into Investment Management at a BB firm in London. Since my undergraduate degree and experience so far have been technical, I wasn't able to get that perfect IM internship this summer. I managed 2 offers for this summer for an internship: -Ops in a BB firm -Associate at one of the top 3 CRA Now, considering I want to land my next internship in IMD, which of these should I pursue? I know Ops isn't particularly related but its

28 Apr 2018

So I am facing this tough decision between a Strategic Solutions/Client Portfolio Allocation Advisory role at an asset manager (think PIMCO/Eaton Vance) and a Credit Ratings Research internship at Moody's. Assuming I will not be returning after the summer, I am primarily considering full-time opportunities after the SA internship. The end goal is to work in Asset Management, so I would imagine Moody's will open up more doors with research roles at fixed income funds, while the Allocation Advisory role will better fit into a FoF model (Hedge Fund Solutions at BlackRock/JPM or Investment

11 Mar 2017

I have an upcoming interview with Fitch's Funds and Asset Manager rating group. Its similar to what morningstar does. Does anyone have any experience with this group, what kind of technical questions can I expect?

26 Jun 2015