Sources from Fitch Ratings say the international rating agency has again been named "Rating Agency of the Year" by the readers of International Securitisation Report. This is the sixth time that Fitch has received the accolade in the past seven years.

The ISR awards are held on an annual basis and are recognised as one of the key events in the global structured finance calendar. They were presented at a ceremony in London on 24 January.

Andrea Muller, head of Fitch Ratings Asia-Pacific, said Fitch's strength and leadership in the structured finance markets in the Asia-Pacific region reflect Fitch's global commitment to excellence in structured finance.

"Our increased staff presence in Asia-Pacific has reinforced our ability to be responsive to the growing needs of lead managers, issuers and investors and will help us maintain the high quality of research that sets us apart," said Mr. Stephenson.

Fitch's Asia-Pacific structured finance group made great strides in the past year amid the market's hectic growth with such notable wins as the landmark Indocoal Resources and Mobius NCM-03 deals. These were named Emerging Market Deal of the Year and Australian Deal of the Year, respectively, by ISR. Indocoal, which was also singled out for awards by IFR Asia, IFR, The Asset, AsiaMoney, FinanceAsia and Asset Securitization Report, was a Fitch-only rated deal, while Mobius was rated by Fitch and one other rating agency.

Another Fitch-only rated deal, Start CLO, Asia's largest ever cross-border securitisation, was named Asia's Best Structured Product Deal by FinanceAsia. Fitch also distinguished itself through its involvement in the rating of China's first ever CLO. Fitch's rating methodologies and analyses were used by LianHe Ratings in the rating of CDB 2005-1 CLO.

Looking ahead, the agency sees opportunities in the CDO markets throughout the Asia-Pacific region, the RMBS markets in Japan, India and Korea, as well as in Asia-Pacific REITs and CMBS.

By People's Daily Online