CHICAGO (Standard&Poor's) June 23, 2011--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that its ratings and outlook on Benton Harbor, Mich.-based Whirlpool Corp. are not affected by its announcement that its Brazilian subsidiary expects to settle a long-standing collection dispute with a Brazilian bank. If approved by the Brazilian court, the subsidiary will pay 959 million Brazilian reais (about $603 million) in two installments through the first quarter of 2012. Although the amount of the settlement is greater than expected, it removes an impediment to a future upgrade, and is below the $1.1 billion high-end potential liability previously indicated by the company. We currently expect the settlement to be paid through existing cash balances (which totaled over $1 billion
