[ by Melanie Gretchen ]

On Tuesday, 5/14 the SEC will host a Credit Ratings Roundtable at its D.C. headquarters.  There will be 3 panels, which will focus on credit ratings of asset-backed securities.  Our list of panelists has not been finalized.  Seating is available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis;  the Roundtable also will be available for viewing online - (i) a live webcast live:  (ii) archival copies of the event for later viewing.

The event will be a full-day affair, kicking off early, at 9:00.

Ahead of the events, the public may submit comments electronically or on paper, (i) via the SEC’s Internet submission form or an e-mail to rule-comments@sec.gov, or (ii) by sending paper submissions in triplicate to Elizabeth M. Murphy, Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-1090.

SEC Note: All submissions should refer to File Number 4-661, and the file number should be included on the subject line if e-mail is used.  Please submit comments using one method only.  Information that is submitted will become part of the public record of the roundtable.

The first panel will discuss the potential creation of a credit rating assignment system for asset-backed securities. The second panel will discuss the effectiveness of the SEC’s current system to encourage unsolicited ratings of asset-backed securities. The third panel will discuss other alternatives to the current issuer-pay business model in which the issuer selects and pays the firm it wants to provide credit ratings for its securities.

For the full agenda and further details, go to [SEC Press Release 2013-71] and the [SEC Notice].