(Editor's Note: An earlier version omitted Reliable Life Insurance Co. (MO) as a related unit of Unitrin Inc. The corrected version is below.) NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Aug. 28, 2001--Standard&Poor's today affirmed its double-'A'-minus financial strength and counterparty credit ratings on the various subsidiaries of Unitrin Inc. (Unitrin). The outlook on the core subsidiaries has been revised to negative from stable. The rating reflects the businesses' strong franchise position in its markets, extremely strong consolidated capital, and good earnings. These strengths are partially offset by limited growth prospects in many of their target markets. Major Rating Factors: -- Strong position in regional markets. Unitrin's property/casualty (P/C) operations have a regional focus on rural and suburban markets, where
