NEW YORK, April 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard & Poor's Ratings Chile Clasificadora de Riesgo Ltda., a subsidiary of McGraw Hill Financial (MHFI), announced today the opening of its office in Santiago, Chile.  The office is the company's first ratings operation in the country and is headed by Monica Coeymans, Office Head for Chile.

The new ratings company will serve domestic clients in Chile. S&P Ratings Services offers ratings in three offices in Latin America, through offices in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico as well as BRC Investor Services S.A., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MHFI in Colombia.  S&P Ratings Services publishes nearly 60 global scale ratings on Chilean corporations, banks, infrastructure projects, and the country's sovereign, which S&P Ratings Services has rated since 1992.   

"Global market participants are making increasingly fine distinctions between countries in emerging markets," said Monica Coeymans, Office Head for Chile.  "Chile's dynamic markets have brought greater demand for our independent credit opinions on Chilean entities and debt securities, from investors within Latin America and globally.  We look forward to meeting that demand." 

"The sophistication and globalization of Chile's capital markets have increased investor interest in independent analysis but also in benchmarks and data in the country's financial and commodities markets," said John Berisford, President, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services.  "The new office in Chile complements the offerings by MHFI's other businesses active in the country, including S&P Global Market Intelligence, S&P Dow Jones Indices, and Platts."  

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, a part of McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI), is the world's leading provider of independent credit risk research and benchmarks. We have approximately 1.2 million credit ratings outstanding on government, corporate, financial sector and structured finance entities and securities. With nearly 1,400 credit analysts in 26 countries, and more than 150 years' experience of assessing credit risk, we offer a unique combination of global coverage and local insight. Our research and opinions about relative credit risk provide market participants with information that helps to support the growth of transparent, liquid debt markets worldwide.

McGraw Hill Financial is a leading financial intelligence company providing the global capital and commodity markets with independent benchmarks, credit ratings, portfolio and enterprise risk solutions, and analytics. The Company's iconic brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Global Market Intelligence, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, CRISIL, and J.D. Power. The Company has approximately 20,000 employees in 31 countries. Additional information is available at www.mhfi.com.

SOURCE Standard & Poor's Ratings Services