The ratings lie on a spectrum ranging between highest  credit quality  on one end and  default  or “junk” on the other. Long-term credit ratings are denoted with a letter: a triple A (AAA) is the highest credit quality, and C or D (depending on the agency issuing the rating) is the lowest or junk quality. Within this spectrum, there are different degrees of each rating, which are, depending on the agency, sometimes denoted by a plus or negative sign or a number. The correct answer is B.