Standard&Poor's today has lowered its ratings on Whirlpool Corp. and subsidiary Whirlpool Financial Corp.'s corporate credit and senior debt rating to single-`A'-minus from single-`A', its commercial paper rating to 'A-2' from 'A-1', and Whirlpool Financial's preferred stock rating to single-'A'-minus from single-'A'. These ratings have been removed from CreditWatch, where they were placed Sept. 30, 1996, following Whirlpool's announcement that it expected continued earnings weakness in the fourth quarter of 1996. The outlook is now negative. Total debt and preferred stock outstanding is $3.2 billion as of Dec. 31, 1996. The downgrade reflects Whirlpool's continued lackluster earnings performance in fiscal 1996 and a prolonged period of weak credit ratios. Standard&Poor's expects the company's financial profile to
