The Securities and Exchange Commission said on Tuesday that Egan-Jones, the upstart credit ratings firm run by Sean Egan, had agreed to an 18-month ban from rating asset-backed and government securities issuers as a nationally recognized statistical rating organization. The agreement settles accusations that the firm made misstatements about its record when applying for a government designation, the S.E.C. said. “Accuracy and transparency in the registration process are essential to the commission’s oversight of credit rating agencies,” Robert Khuzami, director of the S.E.C.’s division of enforcement, said in a ... (full story)