11.   Higher ratings make it less expensive for DLJ, the eighth-largest U.S. investment bank, to raise funds.

12.   Low production costs mean Pax TV needs only minimal ratings to make money.

13.   Lower ratings make fund-raising more costly for the bank, since investors take on more risk.

14.   Of all the issues that face Valenti, perhaps the most bedeviling is whether ratings can actually make television better for children.

15.   So-so ratings could make Bette a one-season wonder.

16.   The lower ratings make it more difficult and expensive for Indonesian companies to roll over existing bonds because the downgrades prevent many investors from owning Indonesian debt.

17.   The lower ratings make it more expensive for Thomson to borrow money.

18.   The junk rating made it harder and more expensive to borrow.

19.   The lower rating makes Bank Plus subject to more government scrutiny.

20.   Weak ratings make Japanese banks more liable to be charged higher interest rates when they try to raise money abroad.