Which of the following is a general problem associated with external credit enhancements? External credit enhancements: 
 
 
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 A)  | 
are very long-term agreements and are therefore relatively expensive. |    |  
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 B)  | 
are subject to the credit risk of the third-party guarantor. |    |  
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 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.   |