On Oct. 13, 2016, we lowered our long-term rating on El Salvador to 'B' from 'B+' and kept our 'B' short-term rating unchanged. The ratings remain on CreditWatch with negative implications (see "El Salvador Long-Term Sovereign Credit Ratings Lowered To 'B' From 'B+' On Political Stalemate," published on the CreditPortal). Continued political stalemate in El Salvador has led to a deterioration of institutional and governance effectiveness, which has contributed to a weaker external profile and a further erosion of the government's liquidity. Our Banking Industry Risk Assessment (BICRA) on El Salvador remains at group '7'. However, we're revising the BICRA economic risk trend to negative from stable, while keeping the industry risk trend as negative. El Salvador's extremely challenging economic