credit rating

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Real Subprime Scandal Is Ratings Firms, not Goldman
Real Subprime Scandal Is Ratings Firms, not Goldman
paul krugman
Apr 26, 2010 5:48 AM CDT

Real Subprime Scandal Is Ratings Firms, not Goldman

99% of AAA-rated subprime securities now junk

(Newser) - Goldman Sachs won't come out of the Senate financial reform hearings smelling of roses, but it's the much bigger stink coming from credit ratings firms that lawmakers should focus on, warns Paul Krugman. Emails released by the Senate subcommittee probing the financial crisis show how corrupt the system of credit...

Looking for Extra Credit, Schools Get Downgraded

(Newser) - The credit crunch is starting to hit even top-tier universities, the Wall Street Journal reports. Both Moody’s and S&P stripped Dartmouth of its AAA rating this week. It’s the 20th college Moody’s has downgraded this year. “That’s comparable to the rate of downgrades universities...

Rating Agency Again Judges USA AAA
Rating Agency Again Judges USA AAA
May 27, 2009 11:28 AM CDT

Rating Agency Again Judges USA AAA

Uncle Sam's debt holds steady despite 'negative pressure'

(Newser) - Moody’s today reassured investors that the United States government won’t lose its AAA credit rating…yet. Last week Standard & Poor warned that it might soon drop Britain’s debt rating, sparking panic that other governments could follow. A Moody’s VP said the US’ rating is the...

Dollar Hits 2009 Low
 Dollar Hits 2009 Low 
May 22, 2009 6:48 AM CDT

Dollar Hits 2009 Low

Credit rating fears send greenback falling against pound, euro

(Newser) - The dollar fell to its lowest level of the year today as investors grew nervous that the US could lose its triple-A credit rating, Reuters reports. The greenback declined to $1.39 against the euro and $1.58 against the pound, echoing similar drops across the world. Yesterday, Moody's said...

Dow Worries Its Way Down 130
 Dow Worries Its Way Down 130 
MARKETS
May 21, 2009 3:13 PM CDT

Dow Worries Its Way Down 130

(Newser) - Markets were off today on news that credit raters might downgrade England and other countries, the Wall Street Journal reports. Though oil remained stable, the stocks of construction-related firms like Home Depot, Caterpillar, and Alcoa plunged; the price of gold surged. The Dow was off 129.91 to 8,292....

Stocks Plummet on UK's Credit Woes
 Stocks Plummet on 
 UK's Credit Woes 
MARKET open
May 21, 2009 8:49 AM CDT

Stocks Plummet on UK's Credit Woes

(Newser) - Stocks plummeted at today’s open after Standard & Poor’s warned it might downgrade the UK’s credit rating, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow tumbled 126 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P each fell more than 1%. Investors now fear other major economies, including the US,...

Credit Card Companies Cut Perks for Good Customers

(Newser) - With revenues from high-risk cardholders dwindling, credit card companies are moving to impose stiffer fees on customers who've been accustomed to preferential treatment, the New York Times reports. Expect banks to bring back annual fees and slash reward programs, say industry insiders. And card holders who pay off their entire...

Credit Rating Agencies Off-Base But Bullet-Proof

(Newser) - Until the day Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy, all three of the major credit-ratings agencies swore its debt was safe, rating it A or better. They rated AIG at AA. And they gave 75% of the $3.2 trillion of subprime mortgage securities iron-clad AAA ratings. Moody’s, S&P and...

GE's Immelt Lacks Options
 GE's Immelt 
 Lacks Options 
ANALYSIS
Apr 3, 2009 2:32 PM CDT

GE's Immelt Lacks Options

CEO needs to shrink, simplify the business, but can't

(Newser) - Don’t envy GE’s Jeffrey Immelt. Though his core business remains profitable, the CEO presides over a huge, unwieldy empire. Parts of the conglomerate, like GE Capital, have tanked the entire corporation’s share price and caused it to lose its prized AAA credit rating. Worse, Immelt may  have...

AIG's Woes Point to Larger Insurance Crisis

Federal aid may offer AIG a competitive advantage in ailing industry

(Newser) - AIG’s troubles were quickly blamed on a single, obscure wing of the company, but its problems extend to its core life-insurance division—underscoring dangerous weaknesses across the entire industry and pointing to the possibility of a second financial crisis, the Los Angeles Times reports. What's more, by offering AIG...

Disgraced Credit Raters See Windfall in Fed Plan

Moody's, S&P could earn big rating Fed bond deals

(Newser) - Credit-rating companies faulted for their role in creating the financial crisis could rake in more than $1 billion in Ben Bernanke’s new plan to prop up the financial system, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Fed is planning $7 billion worth of bond deals, and they'll need the approval...

Moody's Names 283 Companies Likely to Default

(Newser) - Credit-ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service today released what it calls “The Bottom Rung,” a list of 283 companies—15% of all those it tracks—it says are most likely to default on their debts. Moody’s has been widely lambasted for failing to catch the credit problems...

AIG Negotiating Yet Another Bailout

3rd rescue could see government acquire parts of insurer

(Newser) - AIG is seeking yet another bailout from the federal government, the Financial Times reports, as the troubled insurer prepares to post a quarterly loss the Wall Street Journal expects to exceed $60 billion. The new package would see the government swap its previous $60 billion loan for equity and acquire...

States Seek to Restrict Employer Credit Checks

Lawmakers want employers to prove credit reports are necessary

(Newser) - Several states and Obama administration officials are seeking restrictions on employers that unfairly screen out job applicants using credit checks, USA Today reports. Spiking unemployment and mortgage foreclosures brought on by the financial crisis have hurt many, and lawmakers say trustworthy people are being shut out of good jobs. Some...

Experian Cuts Access to Credit Scores

Consumers are about to know 33% less about their credit rating

(Newser) - Knowing their credit rating will become one-third harder for consumers as of tomorrow, USA Today reports. Experian, one of the three major companies that calculates credit scores, has canceled its deal with the company that provides the info to consumers, meaning millions will lose access to Experian's version of the...

Pfizer Deal's $22.5B in Loans Hasn't Unlocked Credit

$22.5B loan in deal to acquire Wyeth comes at 7-9% interest, and lenders can walk

(Newser) - Think Pfizer’s $68 billion deal to buy Wyeth, financed in part with $22.5 billion in loans, means credit markets have thawed? Think again, the Wall Street Journal reports. Pfizer’s lenders—including JPMorgan, Bank of America, Goldman, and Citigroup—are charging high interest (7%-9%, with loans due in...

Obama Moves Quickly to Overhaul Finance Rules

Details of plan to emerge by April when prez heads to London summit

(Newser) - The Obama administration aims to quickly beef up regulation of the US financial system to stave off economic implosion, the New York Times reports. Plans include tightening rules on hedge funds, credit rating agencies, and mortgage firms, and keeping a closer watch on financial instruments at the center of the...

Russia's Credit Rating Lowered
 Russia's Credit Rating Lowered 
Dec 9, 2008 1:59 PM CST

Russia's Credit Rating Lowered

Putin in trouble

(Newser) - The plummeting ruble might just bankrupt Russia, the Financial Times reports. Standard and Poor’s has dropped the G8 member’s credit rating from BBB+ to the lowly BBB, warning that the country may have to spend all $200 billion in its sovereign wealth funds to recapitalize the banking system...

Lawsuit Gives Consumers Free Look at Credit Scores

At $10B, may be largest settlement in history

(Newser) - More than 160 million consumers will be treated to a free look at their credit score, thanks to a class-action settlement against TransUnion Corp., the LA Times reports. Everyone who had any kind of loan account between 1987 and yesterday is entitled to 6 months of free credit reporting; at...

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