OREANDA-NEWS. Expert RA Rating Agency (RAEX) upgraded National Media Group credit (long-term creditworthiness) rating to A+ ("Very high level of creditworthiness"), the third sub-level. The outlook is stable, which means the likelihood of mid-term rating stability is high. Earlier the Company had credit rating (long-term creditworthiness) A ("High level of creditworthiness"), the first sub-level, developing outlook.

High level of liquidity, high capital adequacy ratio, low share of accounts payable in the structure of liabilities and high quality of insurance coverage exerted positive influence on the rating score.

Low level of information disclosure, low level of diversification of business and absence of a single independent risk management division were named among the rating-restraining factors. Expert RA is Russian rating agency working on a global scale, incorporated in 1997 by Expert magazine. Expert RA is a true market leader in ratings and survey-communication activity. Our purpose is to produce a new knowledge and transfer it to the society, business and authorities in an understandable way.

Expert RA was evaluated and certified as satisfying to ISO 9001:2008 demands in the following areas: assigning and actualizing expert assessments; analysis of markets and companies, survey activity; organization of business-forums, conferences and round tables. Rating methods were approved by leading international audit-consultation companies: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte. Procedural quality and information confidentiality principles are confirmed by Accenture.

Expert RA is accredited at the RF Ministry of Finance. The Agency ratings are included in the list of official requirements to banks, insurers, pension funds, issuers. Expert RA ratings have been officially recognized by FSFM, Central Bank of Russia, Vnesheconombank of Russia, MICEX-RTS, Mortgage Crediting Agency, Deposit Insurance Agency, professional associations and self-regulating organizations: VSS, Russia Association, Strategic Initiative Agency, RSA, NAPF, NLU, NSG, NFA, and hundreds of companies and agencies in the period of bids and tenders.

By now the Agency assigned about 800 individual ratings. Expert RA is the largest rating agency in Russia and CIS, it tops the list of other Russian and foreign agencies by a number of ratings assigned to banks and companies in CIS countries. Expert RA is the first (36%) at the market of legal entity credit risks, the first at the bank rating market; the first (85%) at the market of credibility ratings, assigned to Russian insurance companies in Russia.