NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) June 1, 2004--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today it placed its 'B-'corporate credit and senior unsecured debt ratings on Coeur D'Alene Mines Corp. on CreditWatch with positive implications following the company's announcement that it intends to acquire precious metals mining company Wheaton River Minerals Ltd. in a stock and cash transaction valued at approximately $1.8 billion. "The CreditWatch action reflects what is likely to be a meaningful improvement in Coeur's business and financial profile upon the successful acquisition of lower-cost producer Wheaton," said Standard&Poor's credit analyst Paul Vastola. Standard&Poor's expects that its ratings on Coeur would likely be raised several notches. Standard&Poor's will continue to monitor the transaction
