<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=text/html;charset=Windows-1252 http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.19120"></HEAD>
<BODY style="PADDING-LEFT: 10px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 15px"
id=MailContainerBody leftMargin=0 topMargin=0 CanvasTabStop="true"
name="Compose message area">
<DIV>---------- Forwarded message ----------<BR>From: <B
class=gmail_sendername>NYTimes.com News Alert</B> <SPAN dir=ltr><<A
href="mailto:nytdirect@nytimes.com">nytdirect@nytimes.com</A>></SPAN><BR>Date:
Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 7:04 PM<BR>Subject: News Alert: Justice Department
Investigating S.&P. Over Mortgage Securities<BR>To: <A
href="mailto:wayne.a.fox@gmail.com">wayne.a.fox@gmail.com</A><BR><BR><BR>Breaking
News Alert<BR>The New York Times<BR>Wednesday, August 17, 2011 -- 9:59 PM
EDT<BR>-----<BR><BR>Justice Department Investigating S.&P. Over Mortgage
Securities<BR><BR>The Department of Justice is investigating whether the
nation’s largest credit ratings agency, Standard & Poor’s, improperly rated
dozens of mortgage securities in the years leading up to the financial crisis,
according to two people interviewed by the government and another briefed on
such interviews. <BR>The Justice Department has been asking about instances in
which the agency’s analysts wanted to award lower ratings on mortgage bonds but
may have been overruled by S.&P. executives, according to the people with
knowledge of the interviews.<BR><BR>The investigation began before Standard
& Poor’s cut the United States’ triple-A credit rating this month, but is
likely to add fuel to the political firestorm that has surrounded that
action.<BR><BR><BR>Read More:<BR><A
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/18/business/us-inquiry-said-to-focus-on-s-p-ratings.html?emc=na"
target=_blank>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/<U></U>08/18/business/us-inquiry-<U></U>said-to-focus-on-s-p-ratings.<U></U>html?emc=na</A><BR><BR>About
This E-Mail<BR>You received this message because you are signed up to receive
breaking news alerts from NYTimes.com.<BR><BR>To unsubscribe, change your e-mail
address or to sign up for daily headlines or other newsletters, go to:<BR><A
href="http://www.nytimes.com/email"
target=_blank>http://www.nytimes.com/email</A><BR><BR>NYTimes.com<BR>620 Eighth
Ave.<BR>New York, NY 10018<BR><BR>Copyright 2011 The New York Times
Company<BR><BR></DIV><BR><BR clear=all><BR>-- <BR>Wayne A. Fox 208
882-7975<BR><A href="mailto:wayne.a.fox@gmail.com"
target=_blank>wayne.a.fox@gmail.com</A><BR><BR><BR></BODY></HTML>