Members of credit rating boards / rating committees and any staff member participating in any way in the credit rating decision making, shall always apply to the credit rating process the highest degree of integrity, competence, objectivity and thoroughness, worthy of the trust the function requires.

Although Credit Rating is a matter of opinion, it shall be reached through a formal and professional process, which is supported by appropriate objective criteria and based on information considered adequate and reliable by the rating agency.

The credit rating agency and its staff shall presume the confidentiality of the information received by it in the course of the credit rating process, and take all possible precautions towards this end.

In case of any possible conflict of interest situation, the member of the credit rating board / rating committee or the staff member concerned shall disclose such conflict of interest and shall not participate in any manner in formulating or arriving at a rating. (Nevertheless, the person with a conflict of interest may be asked to be a resource person to give information or opinions useful for the consideration of others, but such person shall not participate in the voting process itself).