1.   A credit rating agency shall provide qualitative data reports in the format specified in Table 1 of Annex I. In particular, a credit rating agency shall provide qualitative data on its rating scale explaining the individual characteristics and the meaning of each rating. A credit rating agency may report up to six rating scales. No more than one rating scale may be reported in respect of any particular combination of time horizon and rating type.

2.   Where a credit rating agency issues ratings for a particular time horizon and rating type using more than one rating scale, it shall report in its qualitative data reports only the rating scale used for the numerical majority of such ratings. Ratings shall not be reported in rating data reports where they use a rating scale that has not been reported pursuant to this paragraph.

3.   A rating scale contains an undetermined number of broad rating categories that may include as subcategories an undetermined number of notches. A credit rating agency shall report both rating categories and notches where applicable.