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Regulators try to ease selling pressure on munis
Insurers can get new ratings on munis backed by downgraded bond insurers
By Alistair Barr, MarketWatch
Last Update: 6:45 PM ET Jun 2, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Regulators unveiled a plan on Monday that they
hope will relieve pressure on insurance companies to sell municipal bonds backed
by troubled bond insurers.
Several bond [...]

Ambac shares hit record low after new disclosure
Bond insurer reports CDO write-downs, claim payments from April
By Alistair Barr, MarketWatch
Last Update: 2:56 PM ET May 28, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Ambac Financial shares fell to a record low on
Wednesday after the bond insurer disclosed new information about its operations
in April.
Ambac reported $228 million of write-downs during [...]

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Ambac Financial Group Inc. (ABK) said it wrote down $228 million in
collateralized-debt obligations in April as it continues to be weighed down by
the credit crunch.
In a monthly update on its pretax financial data, the second-largest bond insurer
also reported a $53.4 million loss on fair-value changes in its investment
portfolio more than offset [...]

CHICAGO (Dow Jones)–Subprime mortgages were the first sore spot for bond
insurers as falling housing prices hit borrowers hard. But in the first quarter,
home-equity lines of credit have become the new hot spot.
Third-largest bond insurer Financial Security Assurance Ltd. on Wednesday became
the latest to report that its loss projections for those loans rose in the
quarter.
FSA increased [...]

Moody’s warns on bond-insurer ratings again
This time, second-lien mortgage securities may test ratings, agency says
By Alistair Barr, MarketWatch
Last Update: 4:16 PM ET May 13, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Poor performance of second-lien residential
mortgage-backed securities could put pressure on the credit ratings of bond
insurers, Moody’s Investors Service said Tuesday.
Bond insurers have significant exposure to second-lien residential
mortgage-backed [...]