It should be accompanied by an examination of the debt interest coverage ratio.

FORBES: Are Your Stocks Doomed?

On's interest coverage ratio is 5.2, compared with 4.6 for TXU in America and 3.1 for Eni in Italy.

FORBES: Magazine Article

And its coverage ratio for non-earning loans the ratio of earnings to loan charge-offs was negative in 2009, compared with 1.53 times earnings at banks.

FORBES: GE Earns: If It Looks Like A Bank...

As the table below shows, these factors have enabled Nokia to maintain a healthy interest coverage ratio and quick ratio (nearly equal to the industry average), dispensing any immediate liquidity concerns.

FORBES: Nokia, Is It Sentiment Manipulation or Grassroots Love?

In regards to leverage, Basel III introduced a minimum 3% leverage ratio and two required liquidity ratios: (1) the Liquidity Coverage Ratio, which requires a bank to hold high-quality liquid assets to cover its total net cash outflows over 30 days, and (2) the Net Stable Funding Ratio, which requires the available amount of stable funding to exceed the required amount of stable funding over a one-year period of extended stress.

FORBES: Basel Barriers: How capital requirements would impede progress in the sovereign debt crisis

Title insurance is a steady business you can't mortgage a home without the coverage and the loss-to-premium ratio for title companies is far lower than for property-casualty providers.

FORBES: Yield Booster

Now Bucksbaum will hike his company's debt ratio from 56% to 70% and drive down its interest coverage (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization divided by interest) from two to 1.6 times.

FORBES: General Growth Revives The All-Debt Deal

To put some figures around the issue, the ratings agency notes a debt to EBITDA ratio of 23, which has swelled from just 2 times earnings a year ago, and interest coverage down to 0.6 times from 3.7 times.

FORBES: J.C. Penney: S&P Piles On With Rating Cut After Earnings Disaster