Moody’s Corporation today announced that it is reorganizing its businesses into two operating divisions to ensure the independence of its ratings business.

Moody’s Investors Service, the rating agency, will continue to conduct the credit ratings and related research business, while a new unit — Moody’s Analytics — will bring together Moody’s KMV, Moody’s Economy.com and other businesses outside the rating agency, along with sales and marketing for all of Moody’s Corp.

The firm said that this new structure is designed to capture a broad range of growth opportunities in debt markets worldwide and reinforce the independence of the company’s ratings business. The company named three senior executives to lead the reorganized businesses.

“We are undertaking this reorganization in response to long-term trends in the global debt markets as well as to better meet expectations of our customers, regulatory oversight authorities and other constituencies,” said Raymond McDaniel Jr., chairman and CEO, Moody’s Corp.

“Under our new structure, we will achieve better integration across our credit ratings business, while reinforcing the separation of the rating agency from other, increasingly significant, commercial activities of the corporation. In this respect, our reorganization reaffirms Moody’s commitment to providing objective, independent and rigorous ratings opinions while responding to ever-growing demand for complementary information and analysis services,” he added.

Brian Clarkson, 51, has been named president and chief operating officer of Moody’s Investors Service, with overall responsibility for leading Moody’s ratings and research business. Clarkson, who has been with Moody’s for 16 years, was executive vice president and co-chief operating officer for Moody’s Investors Service, a position he held since 2004.

Christopher Mahoney, 52, has been named vice chairman of Moody’s Investors Service. In his new capacity, he will act as a senior resource for a range of corporate initiatives. Previously, Mahoney served as EVP and co-COO with responsibility for Moody’s global corporate, financial institution and sovereign ratings.

Mark Almeida, 47, has been named senior vice president, Moody’s Corp., with responsibility for directing the newly formed Moody’s Analytics division. Almeida has been with Moody’s for 19 years, serving most recently as senior managing director of the Investor Services Group.