Determinants of Credit Rating and Optimal Capital Structure among Pakistani Banks

Abstract

Firm’s credit rating and optimal capital structure are directly related. Firms with high crediting rating tend to finance more by debts. However, there is no appropriate figure available for optimal capital structure in literature. Firms mostly decide mix of debt and equity based on its operating environment. Knowing fact of high credibility among locals and lower costs associated with debts, managers prefer debts to equity. This paper used factors like profitability, liquidity, firm’s size and leverage, to determine crediting rating of firms. This paper has used data from balance sheets of top twenty banks in Pakistan for last seven years. It was found that profitability and liquidity have negative impacts on credit rating of banks in Pakistan, while size and leverage being more significant have positive correlation with credit rating.

Keywords

• Credit rating
• Capital structure
• Commercial banks