NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) March 7, 2002----Standard&Poor's said today that it assigned its 'A-2' rating to leading appliance maker Whirlpool Corp.'s proposed 4(2) commercial paper program. Whirlpool's new 4(2) commercial paper program will eventually replace the company's existing 3(a)3 commercial paper program. At the same time, Standard&Poor's affirmed its other ratings on Whirlpool and Whirlpool Financial Corp. Benton Harbor, MI-based Whirlpool's long-term corporate credit rating is triple-'B'-plus. The outlook remains negative. Total debt outstanding was about $1.5 billion as of Dec. 31, 2001. "Inability to sustain an improved operating performance or the leveraging of the company's financial profile could lead to a lower rating over the outlook period," commented Standard&Poor's credit analyst Jean
