NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Sept. 5, 2014--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that its corporate credit rating on U.S. packaging producer Crown Holdings Inc. is not affected by Crown's definitive agreement to acquire EMPAQUE, a leading Mexican manufacturer of aluminum cans and ends, bottle caps, and glass bottles for the beverage industry, from Heineken N.V., in a cash transaction valued at $1.225 billion, subject to adjustment. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including competition authority approval, and is expected to close by year-end 2014. We expect the company to fund the acquisition with a mix of debt and cash on hand. If the financing plan includes a significant portion of senior secured debt, our issue and
