NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) March 23, 2000--Standard&Poor's today assigned its preliminary triple-'B'-plus/triple-'B' ratings to Whirlpool Corp.'s $750 million Rule 415 shelf registration for senior unsecured/subordinated debt securities. At the same time the triple-'B'-plus long-term corporate credit and senior unsecured debt ratings, as well as the 'A-2' short-term corporate credit and commercial paper ratings, for the company were affirmed. In addition, Whirlpool Financial Corp.'s triple-'B'-plus corporate credit rating and triple-'B'-minus preferred stock ratings were affirmed. The outlook is stable. Total debt outstanding at Dec. 31, 1999 was approximately $1.4 billion. The ratings reflect Whirlpool's global leadership position in the appliance industry and its improving credit ratios, offset by its exposure to economic fluctuations in key international markets.
