Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC

Complaining CEOs need to take a hike

2013-05-08 16:26:04

I took a walk early Wednesday morning. Azaleas and dogwoods were in bloom. Green-again trees and shrubs were damp, dripping from Tuesday's rain. A zillion birds were singing, and even the starlings sounded sweet. The Orioles had won another game. A...

Raise Maryland calls for higher wages for corporate employees

2013-02-21 18:45:10

Some members of the Rev. David Carl Olson's congregation are homeless. A few work minimum-wage jobs, he said, but they still cannot afford to leave shelters. His faith calls him to live in a world with "profoundly more justice," said Olson, who...

Harford to sell nearly $117 million in bonds on Feb. 19

2013-02-11 04:33:38

Harford County officials are preparing to sell $116.9 in bonds on Feb. 19. The bond issues cover $40 million that is being borrowed for various capital improvement projects and $76.9 million to refinance two previous bond issues from 2005 and 2007,...

Part two: Warning signs

2013-01-13 21:29:00

When Bank of America credit officer Dan Petrik and his team sat down in early 2007 to analyze Sam Zell's plan to take control of Tribune Co., their numbers showed that the complex deal failed to meet five of the bank's 10 lending guidelines. There was...

A do-nothing Congress returns to Washington; don't expect much

2012-09-18 03:00:00

A wild windstorm swept through the nation's capital on Saturday, tossing broken tree limbs, downing power lines and forcing thousands of suburbanites to eat dinner by candlelight. On Sunday, with the skies sunny and mostly clear, the oppressive heat...

Brazil, Russia, India and China: The world's trouble children

2012-07-29 03:00:00

As the world struggles to deal with its two largest foreign-affairs dilemmas, Syria and Iran, resolutely standing in the way are the BRICs. That's the acronym foreign-policy wonks use for the block of nations that routinely refuses to join the...

Harford's Craig explains trip to New York during council hearing on bonuses

2011-12-15 13:52:00

Harford County Executive David Craig released a statement explaining his trip last week to meet with three bond-rating agencies in New York, an annual event. Craig said he spent two days meeting with representatives of Standard & Poor's, Moody's and...

Uncertain year ahead for U.S. stocks

2011-12-31 00:00:00

Investors had plenty to keep them jittery in 2011. There were the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, economic woes in Europe, and, here at home, politically tinged fiscal showdowns in Washington over deep government spending cuts. Still, the stock market...

Downgrade shows D.C. at its most childish

2011-08-12 10:00:00

Why is anyone surprised by Standard and Poor's downgrading U.S. debt? I'm surprised it took this long. President Barack Obama and the members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate have been behaving like little kids, pushing their own...

Maryland needs a balanced approach to balancing its budget

2011-08-24 08:00:00

Gov. Martin O'Malley has signaled that it's time to replace the "steady diet of cuts" with a "balanced approach" to balancing the state's budget ("Taxes on the table in 2012," Aug. 21). He is right. The $5 billion in cuts Maryland has already made have...

State unveils plans for improved Aberdeen train station

2011-10-13 19:14:00

The Maryland Department of Transportation has big plans for a greener, more vibrant neighborhood around the Aberdeen train station, although, as it became clear during Thursday evening's public presentation, those plans are still a long way from...

Md. treasurer: S&P sees 'no action' on state credit rating

2011-08-09 18:53:30

Maryland's treasurer expressed confidence Tuesday the state's AAA credit rating would not change as a result of Standard & Poor's historic downgrade of the federal government's rating. Maryland has maintained the top rating from the three major ratings...

Specialist Frank Masiello wears a "Dow 15,000" hat as he works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Friday. A big gain in the job market is lifting the stock market to a record high.

2013-05-03 00:00:00

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) said Moody's, Fitch and Standard & Poor's had �shortcomings" in bank rating methodologies.

2013-03-18 04:08:00

The Illinois State Capitol, Springfield. Standard & Poor's Ratings Service downgraded Illinois' credit rating.

2013-01-25 15:49:42