Credit Ratings Agencies in the Evaluation Process of Banks' Financial Conditions

Available funds might be invested both in the capital market and in the bank. While the risk of investing in the capital market is well-known and widely discussed, investing funds in the bank rarely draws attention to the risk of capital loss due to the bank's insolvency or its bankruptcy. However, global financial crisis has shown that it is a mistake. Through the analysis of published financial statements, it is possible to get to know the bank's financial condition and avoid the risk of insolvency. Moreover, it is also possible to use the ratings published by the independent rating agencies that provide information about the banks' financial condition and by giving them to the public, make easier the optimal financial decisions, particularly in the investment area. The main aim of the study is to present the role of credit rating agencies in process of evaluating banks' financial conditions and their importance in investment decisions of potential customers