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Corporate Social Responsibility
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5.21.2007 - 04:59pm ET
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Innovest Releases New Ratings For Consumer Finance Sector
(CSRwire) NEW YORK, NY - May 21 2007 - Innovest Strategic Value Advisors has released
updated Intangible Value Assessments for the 17 companies in the new
Consumer Finance sector.
Individual company ratings can be purchased for $100 each. Ratings for
all companies in the sector are available for $1,360. To purchase, please
click
here or visit www.csrwire.com/reports/ratings_cf.
The Consumer Finance sector was created this year as a result of the
reorganization of Diversified Financials by product rather than by
geography. Because companies were rated against the new universe, this
sector restructuring caused some companies ratings to shift in this rating
cycle. Companies in this sector include:
Acom Company Limited
Aeon Credit Service Company Limited
Aiful Corp.
Aktiv Kapital ASA
American Express Company
Capital One Financial Corp.
Cattles PLC
CIT Group Inc
Credit Saison Company Limited
Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos Company Limited
Orix Corporation
Paragon Group Of Companies PLC
Promise Company Limited
Provident Financial PLC
Sfcg Company Limited
SLM Corp.
Takefuji
How companies respond to rising consumer over-indebtedness and manage
growing regulatory scrutiny is a key driver for strong performance in this
sector. Cattles (AAA) has shown strong leadership by making
responsible lending a big part of its sustainability strategy. The company
has improved its underwriting processes and compliance monitoring
procedures to ensure that its acceptance of credit risk is carefully
controlled and product offering is based on the needs and suitability of
customers. The company is also shifting away from providing UK home
credit, a business area which has been scrutinized by the public and
regulators in recent years.
Although the medium-term outlook of the overall sector is rather bleak as
more stringent credit regulations and reforms are now underway or being
proposed, companies were favorably rated relative to peers if they were
successfully diversifying their operations away from the business areas
under stakeholder scrutiny and swiftly adapting to new regulatory
requirements ahead of the enforcement and of competitors.
Other noteworthy rating changes include:
Paragon Group Of Companies PLC – previously rated B, now rated
BBB
Credit Saison Company Limited – previously rated BB, now rated
BBB
Downloadable reports for companies in the sector and more are available for
purchase through Innovest's partner, CSRwire
Some of the areas of analysis for Innovest's IVA ratings include:
Environmental Strategy and management
Regulatory/Stakeholder relations
Health and Safety
Carbon Risk Mitigation
Labor Relations
Product Safety
Workplace issues
Supply Chain
Human Rights
By assessing differentials typically not identified by traditional
securities analysis, Innovest’s IVA ratings uncover hidden risks and
value potential for investors. Ratings range from AAA (best) to CCC
(worst). Scores on sub factors range from 10 (best) to 0 (worst).
About Innovest
Innovest Strategic Value Advisors is an internationally recognized
investment research and advisory firm specializing in analyzing
companies’ performance on environmental, social, and strategic
governance issues, with a particular focus on their impact on
competitiveness, profitability, and share price performance.
Innovest currently has offices in New York City, Toronto, San Francisco,
London, Paris, Sydney, and Tokyo.
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