On April 26, 2004, Standard&Poor's Ratings Services affirmed its 'A' counterparty credit rating on UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH). The outlook remains stable. At the same time, Standard&Poor's placed its 'BB+' counterparty credit rating on Oxford Health Plans Inc. (Oxford) (NYSE:OHP) and its 'BBB+' counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Oxford Health Plans (NY) Inc. on CreditWatch with positive implications. UNH's plan to acquire Oxford, a transaction valued at $5 billion, will not affect the ratings on UNH but does have a degree of acquisition risk because of increasing goodwill and operations integration. The extremely strong operating performance of both companies and their greatly enhanced competitive position in the greater New York area are expected to
