According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, in 2016, Moody's Investors Service has agreed to pay $130 million to end a prominent lawsuit alleging crisis-era misconduct ... The article also noted that, The industry's business model ... remains in place. Source: Timothy W. Martin, Moody's to Pay Calpers $130 Million to Settle Lawsuit, Wall Street Journal, March 9, 2016. All of the following factors contributed to the misconduct cited in the article, except: A. Rating agencies provided high ratings primarily to ensure firms would continue to hire them. B. Analysts anticipated how severe the housing crisis would be. C. Many of the mortgage-backed securities had complicated structures. D. Analysts at the rating agencies were reluctant to require issuers to provide sufficient information to rate the securities. Which of the following does NOT explain why the industry's business model remains in place? A. Governments include bond ratings in their regulation of banks. B. New restrictions on conflicts of interest have been placed on the agencies. C. Ratings agencies are shielded from investor lawsuits. D. Investors still rely heavily on the agencies.
