NY -- Standard&Poor's CreditWire 3/5/96 -- Standard&Poor's lowers its rating on Whirlpool Corp.'s and subsidiary Whirlpool Financial Corp.'s senior debt to single-`A' from single-`A'-plus, and Whirlpool Corp.'s subordinated debt rating to single-`A'-minus from single-`A'. Standard&Poor's removes these ratings from CreditWatch, where they were placed Dec. 22, 1995 following Whirlpool's announcement that it expected continued earnings weakness in the fourth quarter of 1995. At the same time, Standard&Poor's affirms its `A-1' commercial paper rating on the two companies. The ratings outlook is stable. The downgrade reflects Standard&Poor's expectation that debt protection measures, which weakened considerably in fiscal 1995, will remain at levels commensurate with the new rating category for the next
