The AIG mess, then, is the result of denial about the level of risk, arrogance that the triple A credit rating is an absolute safety belt, greed about compensation that leads to reckless behavior and overall, a level of irrationality that approached insanity.

FORBES: The 2008 Meltdown And Where The Blame Falls

We could ask the rating agencies to give up attempting to produce absolute measures of credit quality and instead focus on providing only relative measures.

FORBES: Rethinking Credit Ratings

This implies that a creditors primary concern is not the absolute safety of a bond or other credit instrument, but its relative safety.

FORBES: Inverse Moral Hazard: A Slaughter Rule For Finance

In the judgement of Rakoff, not only does he disagree with the absolute value set by the use of FSG, but he is also known for giving credit, a lesser prison term, to those like Gupta who have shown that they have lived an honorable life up until the time of their offense.

FORBES: What Judge Rakoff Will Consider Upon Sentencing Rajat Gupta