Fitch Downgrades Hundreds More B&C Classes

More than 750 additional classes of subprime mortgage pass-through certificates have been downgraded by Fitch Ratings as a result of changes to its subprime loss forecasting assumptions. Fitch also affirmed the ratings on classes with outstanding balances of more than $14 billion. Among the securities affected by the latest downgrades were: 177 classes from 16 Morgan Stanley deals; 158 classes from 14 SASCO deals; 87 classes from seven HASCO deals; 84 classes from seven SAIL deals; 64 classes from five Nomura deals; 44 classes from four NovaStar deals; 43 classes from four Soundview deals; 27 classes from two BNC deals; 26 classes from two Renaissance deals; 25 classes from two UBS deals; 22 classes from two Citigroup deals; and 13 classes from one GE-WMC deal. All were first-lien subprime transactions. The rating actions were attributed to changes to Fitch's subprime loss forecasting assumptions that "better capture the deteriorating performance of pools from 2006 and late 2005 with regard to continued poor loan performance and home price weakness." Fitch can be found online at http://www.fitchratings.com.