Don’t shoot the messenger is a sentiment dating back to Sophocles. Credit rating agencies, pummelled by politicians for their sovereign debt warnings since the Greek crisis erupted two years ago, might appreciate the irony. Now, though, some bankers have joined the chorus for agency reform. Unhappy at recent downgrades – Moody’s cut ratings on 26 Italian banks by up to four notches on Monday – banks suggest that information disclosed to the big agencies should be restricted, making it easier for new entrants to compete in the rating business.
「不殺報信者」的觀點可以追溯到索福克勒斯(Sophocles)（古希臘劇作家——譯者注）的戲劇。信用評級機構或許可以體會到其中的諷刺意味。自兩年前希臘危機爆發以來，信用評級機構因發出主權債務警告而遭到政客們的抨擊。然而，現在部分銀行家也參與進來，齊聲要求改革評級機構。上週一，穆迪(Moody’s)給義大利26家銀行的評級最多調降了四級。銀行對此感到不滿，並暗示，應該對向大型評級機構披露的資訊加以限制，以使評級行業的新加入者更容易展開競爭。