A nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) is a credit rating agency (CRA) that issues credit ratings that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) permits other financial firms to use for certain regulatory purposes. Originally, seven rating agencies were recognized as NRSROs, a number that dwindled as a result of mergers to six by the mid-1990s[1] and then to three by 2003.[2] As of March 2015, ten organizations were designated as NRSROs.[3] Ratings by NRSROs are used for a variety of regulatory purposes in the United States.