| Which of the following is a general problem associated with external credit enhancements? External credit enhancements: 
 
 
| 
| A) | are very long-term agreements and are therefore relatively expensive. |  |  
| 
| B) | are subject to the credit risk of the third-party guarantor. |  |  
| 
| C) | are only available on a short-term basis. |  |  
 
 
According to the “weak link” philosophy adopted by rating agencies, the credit quality of an issue can not be higher than the credit rating of the third-party guarantor. Along these lines, if the guarantor is downgraded, the issue itself could be subject to downgrade even if the structure is performing as expected. |