Standard & Poor's to Broaden Presence in China with New Greater China Headquarters in Shanghai

Standard & Poor's to Broaden Presence in China with New Greater China
Headquarters in Shanghai
World's Foremost Provider of Independent Credit Ratings, Indices, Risk
Evaluation, Investment Research and Data Also Will Expand Operations in Hong
Kong and Beijing to Serve China's Growing Capital Markets

SHANGHAI, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:
MHP), a global leader in financial services, education, and business
information, today announced that Standard & Poor's (S&P) is planning to
establish a Greater China headquarters in Shanghai, underscoring the company's
commitment to supporting China's growing capital markets, as well as
Shanghai's emergence as a leading global financial center. The company also
plans to expand its existing teams in Hong Kong and Beijing to meet the
growing needs of financial market participants in both internationally
significant cities.

"As China's largest city and one of the world's leading financial centers,
Shanghai has come to epitomize the country's exceptional growth and leadership
position in the international economic community," said Harold McGraw III,
chairman, president and chief executive officer of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
"Shanghai is establishing itself as a global center for capital and commerce,
and we are excited about the new opportunities Standard & Poor's will have to
help China continue to expand and strengthen its growing financial markets."

To support the needs of its growing and increasingly diverse customer base in
China, the initial plans for S&P's Shanghai operations include:
-- becoming an analytical hub for S&P's credit ratings business in
Greater
China,
-- establishing dedicated teams to provide financial risk management
solutions to both the private and public sectors,
-- establishing a strong local sales and customer service organization to
work more closely with its clients in mainland China, and

-- creating strong corporate functions, such as marketing, finance and
human resources, to support the company's business operations
throughout
the country.

Looking ahead, S&P also will look to draw on China's rich talent base to
provide data and analytical support for S&P's businesses worldwide. Shanghai
offers attractive outsourcing capabilities with a growing pool of multilingual
financial professionals that can help S&P grow its regional and global
businesses.

"As China's influence on the world economy begins to move beyond manufacturing
to include financial flows and investments, with Shanghai at the forefront, we
believe it is the right time to expand Standard & Poor's footprint in China,"
said Ping Chew, head of Standard & Poor's Greater China operations. "By using
Shanghai as our Greater China hub and expanding our resources in both Beijing
and Hong Kong, we are strengthening our ability to help China achieve its
goals for economic expansion and financial market development."

Standard & Poor's has been doing business in China for more than 16 years -
first issuing a sovereign credit rating on the People's Republic of China in
February 1992. Today, S&P provides credit ratings on industrial, banking and
insurance companies in China, and recently signed a technical services
agreement with local credit rating agency, Shanghai Brilliance, to share
mutual knowledge and experience. Applying its deep credit management and
public sector experience, S&P is also working with the World Bank to conduct
financial management assessments (FMAs) and perform credit analysis on urban
development and provincial investment groups in China to support public sector
reform and fund raising.

In addition to its ratings business, S&P has been actively providing data,
information and risk management tools to support the growth of China's
domestic financial markets. In 2004, S&P entered the domestic capital markets
with the launch of local equity indices. In conjunction with our partner CITIC
Securities, S&P launched a series of leading stock market indices including
the S&P/CITIC 50, the S&P/CITIC 300, and the S&P/CITIC China 30 to enable
investors to better access China's rapid growth.

In 2007, S&P Risk Solutions expanded its presence in China to support top-tier
Chinese banks develop risk management practices in preparation for Basel II
requirements. Today, S&P Risk Solutions works with a range of financial
institutions in China including smaller regional banks to help them better
manage their risks as they prepare for domestic loan growth in line with the
country's fast-growing economic plans.

About Standard & Poor's:
Standard & Poor's, a subsidiary of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is the world's
foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation,
investment research and data. With offices in 23 countries and markets,
Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure
and has played a leading role for nearly 150 years in providing investors with
the independent benchmarks they need to feel more confident about their
investment and financial decisions. For more information, visit
http://www.standardandpoors.com.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information
services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education
and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard &
Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, Capital IQ, J.D. Power and Associates,
McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Corporation has more than 280
offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional
information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

Investor Relations: http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/investor_relations

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Release issued: November 12, 2009

SOURCE The McGraw-Hill Companies

Frank Briamonte, Senior Director, Corporate Communications, The McGraw-Hill
Companies, +1-212-512-4145 (office), or +1-201-725-6133 (mobile),
frank_briamonte@mcgraw-hill.com; or Chris Atkins, Vice President,
Communications, Standard & Poor's, +1-212-438-1106,
chris_atkins@standardandpoors.com