The ratings reflect Benton Harbor, Mich.-based Whirlpool Corp.'s global leadership position in the mature and concentrated appliance industry, geographic diversity, and a degree of financial discipline demonstrated by the company's partial funding of the acquisition of Maytag Corp. with equity and expected merger related synergies. These factors are offset by the significant increase in debt levels and weaker pro forma credit measures following the transaction, as well as Standard&Poor's Ratings Services' concerns surrounding integration and exposure to economic fluctuations in key international markets and the U.S. Whirlpool continues to maintain the leading market share in several appliance categories across a number of different geographic regions, while the acquisition of Maytag strengthens Whirlpool's position in the key U.S. appliance
