AK&M Rating Agency has published an updated Procedure of Rating Actions taking effect starting from November 1, 2015.

The rating assignment procedure includes the following milestones:

1. Receipt of a rating application, conclusion of a rating assignment contract;
2. Accumulation of the information used as a rating rationale;
3. Detailed interviews with the management team and employees of the rated entity (the Customer);
4. Review of the key performance indicators of the rated entity, preparation of a rating report including the rating assignment recommendations;
5. Audit by the Rating Methodology Development Department of the rating report to ensure that the methodology was applied in full conformity with standards;
6. Session of the Rating Committee; assignment of a rating;
7. Provision to the Customer of the rating report and the press release qualifying as a public announcement of the rating assignment; seeking the Customer's approval for the press release publication;
8. Publication of the press-release on the rating assignment on AK&M Rating Agency's website and its delivery to the mass media, subject to the Customer's approval;
9. Monitoring of the rating for a one-year period;
10. Rating revision/affirmation (based on monitoring results, among others);
11. Rating withdrawal.