A Rating Outlook is opinion of Rating and Investment Information, Inc. concerning the medium term prospects for Issuer Ratings and Insurance Claims Paying Ability. Rating Outlooks are either Positive, Negative, Stable or Developing.
A Positive or Negative Outlook is not a statement indicating a future change of a rating. If neither a Positive nor Negative Outlook is appropriate, a Stable Outlook is assigned. Even the rating of an issuer with a Stable Outlook may, depending on circumstances, be changed without any change of the Rating Outlook. For a rating that could be assigned either a Positive, Negative or Stable Outlook, the Outlook may be restrictively described as “Developing”.
For Issuer Ratings and Insurance Claims Paying Ability in the CCC category or lower, a Rating Outlook may not be assigned. When an Issuer Rating or Insurance Claims Paying Ability is placed on the Rating Monitor, a Rating Outlook will not be shown until it is removed from the Rating Monitor.