NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Oct. 7, 2005--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that it assigned its 'A-' counterparty credit rating to Ameriprise Financial Inc. (NYSE: AMP). Standard&Poor's also said that it assigned its preliminary 'A-' senior unsecured debt rating to AMP's $1.7 billion shelf-registered securities. The outlook is positive. AMP is the recently spun-off holding company of American Express Financial Advisors, previously a division of American Express Co. (NYSE:AXP). "The ratings are based on holding company's strong financials and the large initial funding from the its previous parent," said Standard&Poor's credit analyst Kevin Ahern. "The company also has extremely strong cash coverage because of its very strong life insurance and strong asset-management operations, supported
