On March 7, 2002, Standard&Poor's assigned its 'A-2' rating to leading appliance maker Whirlpool Corp.'s proposed 4(2) commercial paper program and affirmed its other ratings on the company as well as for Whirlpool Financial Corp. The ratings reflect Whirlpool's global leadership position in the appliance industry offset by exposure to economic fluctuations in key international markets. Benton Harbor, MI-based Whirlpool continues to maintain the leading market share in several appliance categories across a number of different geographic regions. The company's international sales and manufacturing capabilities provide geographic diversity. Although the global appliance industry continued to experience pressure in 2001, due to continued slow demand in the U.S. and Europe and intense price competition, Whirlpool was able to increase
