what is a nationally recognized statistical rating organization 
nationally recognized statistical rating organizations nrsros are credit rating agencies that are overseen by the office of credit ratings ocr in the u s securities and exchange commission the ocr was created by the dodd frank wall street reform and consumer protection act in the wake of the financial crisis of 2007 2008 to enhance the regulation accountability and transparency of the credit rating agencies 17there are currently 10 nrsros of which the largest are fitch ratings moody s investors service and s p global ratings 18the bottom linecredit ratings are the corporate or government counterparts of personal credit scores for individuals they provide useful information to prospective investors and lenders but as the rating agencies themselves stress represent an informed judgment of potential risk not an absolute guarantee 15