Standard & Poor's

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  FINRA Warning on BDCs Doesn’t Stop Market Vectors’ ETF Debut

  By Joyce Hanson, AdvisorOne  |  February 13, 2013

  Despite FINRA's January warnings on high-risk business development companies, Market Vectors has launched the first-ever ETF to offer pure-play BDC exposure.

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  Meredith Whitney: Government Case Against S&P ‘Hard to Believe’

  By John Sullivan, AdvisorOne  |  February 7, 2013

  She discussed the government’s case against the ratings agency, her municipal bond call and her thoughts on new Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat.

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  S&P Expects Federal Lawsuit Over Mortgage Ratings

  By MARCY GORDON, AP BUSINESS WRITER  |  February 4, 2013

  The U.S. government is expected to file civil charges against S&P, alleging that it fraudulently gave high ratings to mortgage debt that later plunged in value and helped fuel the 2008 financial crisis.

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  SEC, DOL Enforcement Roundup: CDO Woes, Short-Selling Brothers, Amish Fund

  By Marlene Y. Satter, AdvisorOne  |  July 19, 2012

  Recent actions by the SEC and DOL included fines of $127.5 million for a securities firm over false CDO credit ratings and $14.5 million for two short-selling brothers, along with deferred prosecution for an Amish fund.

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  Top 10 Countries With Most Millionaires: Capgemini/RBC

  By Joyce Hanson, AdvisorOne  |  June 20, 2012

  Where are today’s HNW individuals most likely to be found? Capgemini/RBC Wealth Management's 2012 World Wealth Report lists the top countries for millionaires.

• S&P Downgrades Spain

  By Marlene Y. Satter, AdvisorOne  |  April 27, 2012

  Spain suffered another downgrade as Standard & Poor's cut its sovereign credit rating and its unemployment rate rose to its highest level since the early 1990s—now one of the highest in the world.

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  U.S. Bank Lending Below Depression-Era Levels: S&P

  By Joyce Hanson, AdvisorOne  |  March 22, 2012

  U.S. bank loans are at such lows that the economic recovery has been nearly loan-free, S&P's head of financial institutions ratings said Wednesday in New York.

• Fitch Ratings Downgrades 5 European Countries

  By Marlene Y. Satter, AdvisorOne  |  January 30, 2012

  Fitch Ratings went on a roll on Friday, downgrading Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Slovenia and Spain with the threat of additional cuts in the next one to two years.

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  Top Portfolio Products: ProShares ETF Focuses on Germany; BlackRock Offers New Fund

  By Marlene Y. Satter, AdvisorOne  |  January 27, 2012

  New products over the last week include a new ETF focusing on German debt from ProShares and a reintroduced multi-asset income fund from BlackRock.

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  ProShares Launches ETF Focused on German Debt

  By Marlene Y. Satter, AdvisorOne  |  January 27, 2012

  ProShares announced Thursday the launch of the first U.S.-based ETF focused on sovereign and sub-sovereign debt from Germany, which has the world's third-largest public debt market and is widely recognized for its fiscal strength.