NY -- Standard&Poor's CreditWire 8/7/98 -- Standard&Poor's today raised its corporate credit rating on Protection One Alarm Monitoring Inc. to triple-'B'-minus from single-'B'-plus and its rating on the company's subordinated debt to double-'B'-plus from single-'B'-minus. Standard&Poor's also withdrew its double-'B'-minus bank loan rating on the company. The ratings were removed from Creditwatch, where they were placed July 30, 1997. The outlook is stable. At the same time, Standard&Poor's assigned its triple-'B'-minus rating to the company's proposed $300 million senior notes. The upgrade reflects improvement in Protection One's stand-alone credit profile, along with the implied support that Standard&Poor's believes is provided by Western Resources Inc.'s majority ownership stake. In November 1997,
