MBIA's rating slashed to deep junk status, litigation worries continuesOn Thursday, June 25, bond insurer MBIA's (MBI) senior debt rating was lowered by Moody's Investors Service to Ba3 -- three levels below investment grade -- from Ba1. The downgrade cited expectations of further portfolio deterioration due to its exposure to risky mortgage-backed securities coupled with the uncertainties associated with the ongoing litigation over the company's restructuring that happened last February.Moody's also changed the rating outlook of MBIA Insurance Corp. to negative. Additionally, Moody's affirmed the investment-grade Baa1 rating of National Public Finance Guarantee Corp., MBIA's dedicated municipal-bond insurance company.Investors and world's 18 largest banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and Bank of America Corp. (BAC) have sued MBIA, claiming a fraudulent restructuring in February this ...

By Jennifer Yousfi Managing Editor Moody’s Investors Service on Friday downgraded the debt rating of key bond insurers MBIA Inc. (MBI) and Ambac Financial Group Inc. (ABK), increasing expectations that more write-downs are in the offing for the U.S. financial-services sector, which has already written off nearly $400 billion in losses. Moody’s Investors Service, subsidiary of Moody’s Corp. (MCO), downgraded MBIA to A2 from Aaa, and Ambac from Aaa to Aa. The downgrade caused MBIA shares to shed more than 13% of their value, with an 86-cent decline to close at $5.59 on Friday. Ambac shares fared a bit better, gaining 2 cents to close at $2.05. Moody’s downgrades follow similar reductions from Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings Inc. Many even question MBIA’s very survival, as it lacks the $2.6 billion in capital needed to regain its ...