New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS): Terming debt restructuring a breather for corporates, rating agency Crisil said that liquidity-strapped firms need timely lender approvals to avoid sharp rating action.

According to Crisil, the Reserve Bank's decision to enable lenders to permit a one-time restructuring of loans will ease the liquidity pressure on companies amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Crisil will factor in the impact of debt restructuring on its rated credits, as and when the process is initiated, and its rating action will depend upon the timeliness and terms of the restructuring of debt," the rating agency said in a statement.

"Also, Crisil's rating actions will continue to factor in any structural deterioration in the credit risk profiles of its rated companies amid prolonged business-side pressures, or such other reasons, in the normal course of rating reviews."

On Thursday, the RBI announced that a restructuring window will be opened only for companies which are under stress due to the pandemic and which were classified as standard, but were not in default for more than 30 days with any lending institution as on March 1, 2020.

"Other contours of the restructuring window are being worked out by the RBI, and will remain monitorable," the statement said.