• A credit rating is a quantitative assessment of a borrower’s creditworthiness in general or in relation to a financial obligation.

  • Credit scores determine whether a borrower is approved for a loan, as well as the interest rate at which it will be repaid.
  • A credit rating or score is assigned to any entity that wants to borrow money, be it an individual, a corporation, a state or provincial government, or a sovereign government.
  • Credit for individual consumers is rated on a numerical scale based on FICO calculations by credit bureaus.
  • Bonds issued by businesses and governments are rated by credit agencies using a letter system from AAA to D.