Fitch Downgrades Subprime Securities

Thirty-eight classes of mortgage-backed securities from two issuers were downgraded by Fitch Ratings on Dec. 28 as a result of changes to its subprime loss forecasting assumptions.Fitch also affirmed the ratings on classes with outstanding balances of approximately $600 million. The securities affected by the latest downgrades were 27 classes of SASCO mortgage pass-through certificates and 11 classes of Securitized Asset Backed Receivables mortgage pass-throughs. The rating actions were attributed to changes in 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." The rating agency can be found online at http://www.fitchratings.com.