Moody's warns: AAA-rating for UK and France may be cut

Rating agency Moody's warned it may cut the triple-A ratings of France, Britain and Austria. And at the same time it downgraded six other European nations including Italy, Spain and Portugal, citing growing risks from Europe's debt crisis.

Moody's move was less aggressive than rival agency Standard & Poor's, but its action puts London's prized top credit rating in jeopardy for the first time.

Read details: Reuters

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Moody's cuts Belgium ratings by 2 notches

[ via Reuters ] 16 Dec

Moody's on Friday cut Belgium's credit rating by two notches, saying the euro zone debt crisis increases funding risks for countries with high public debt burdens.

Concerns about Belgium's economic growth prospects and its banking system, particularly with contingent liabilities stemming from the Dexia group bailout, also contributed to the decision, Moody's said.

"The fragility of the sovereign debt markets (in the euro zone) is increasingly entrenched and unlikely to be reversed in the near future," Moody's said in a statement.

Belgium's government declined to comment on Moody's decision.

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Moody's Downgrades Top French Banks

[ The New York Times ] 9 Dec

Moody’s Investors Service on Friday downgraded the three largest banks in France, and said there was a “very high” probability that the French government would step in to support them if conditions worsened.

Just a day earlier, Europe’s main banking regulator said that all French banks had passed a test designed to see whether financial institutions have enough capital to weather unexpected shocks. ut Moody's is of the opinion that  the banks could face further losses on their holdings of Greek and Italian government bonds, should the crisis deepen.

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Moody's Downgrades 10 German Banks

Full Story: Business Insider / Money Game 16 Nov

Moody's has downgraded the long-term debt ratings of 10 German public-sector banks (primarily Landesbanken), extended the review of one and confirmed the ratings of another Wednesday.

The downgrades stem from its assumption that the banks have a lower likelihood of external support, says Business Insider.

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