PARIS (Standard&Poor's) Nov. 22, 2012-- Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that it had affirmed its 'BB' long-term and 'B' short-term corporate credit ratings on Germany-based heavy materials group HeidelbergCement AG. We subsequently withdrew these ratings at the issuer's request. The outlook was stable at the time of the withdrawal. At the same time, we affirmed at 'BB' and then withdrew our issue ratings on the various unsecured bonds issued by HeidelbergCement and its subsidiaries HeidelbergCement Finance B.V., Hanson Ltd., and Hanson Australia Funding Ltd. Our recovery rating on these debt instruments was '3' at the time of the withdrawal, indicating our expectation of meaningful (50%-70%) recovery prospects in the event of a payment default. At the
