"標準普爾可能因金融危機吃上官司"

這間信用評等公司表示由於標普給予次級抵押債券不當評級，美國司法部將對其提出告訴。

美國信用評等機構「標準普爾」（S＆P）表示其將遭美國政府提告。訴訟原因是因為這間信評機構給予多宗房貸抵押債券過高評級，金融危機初期價值即瞬間暴跌。若進行民事訴訟，將是美國政府首度就金融危機對信評機構提出訴訟。

標準普爾表示在近來雙方會談破裂之後，美國司法部告知將提出法律訴訟。這則消息發布後，標準普爾的母公司「麥格羅希爾」股價應聲下跌14%。另一家信評機構「穆迪」股價亦暴跌，因分析師預測穆迪將面臨類似訴訟。

由於金融危機，眾多憤怒的矛頭均指向信評機構，因這些公司給予次級房貸抵押債券最高的AAA評級。據稱發行債券公司可花錢購買評等，而在2011年，美國金融危機調查小組將這類機構形容成「導致金融毀滅的轉輪上不可或缺的齒輪」和「導致金融崩盤的罪魁禍首」。

(Business) SP Awaits Lawsuit over the Financial Crisis

The ratings agency says the US justice department will sue for the ratings it gave to subprime financial products.

US financial ratings agency Standard and Poors (SP) has said that it will be sued by the US government. The action, it says, will be taken because the agency gave high ratings to a number of mortgage-based financial products that collapsed in value at the start of the financial crisis. If the civil suit goes ahead, it would be the first action taken against a ratings agency over the financial crisis.

SP says the US justice department informed the company of the legal action after talks between the two parties fell apart recently. Following the announcement, shares in McGraw Hill V SPs parent corporation V fell 14%. Moodys, another ratings agency, also saw its share price tumble as analysts predicted that it would likely face similar legal action.

In the wake of the financial crisis, a lot of anger was leveled at ratings agencies for their decision to give the top AAA rating to subprime mortgage financial products. It has been alleged that these ratings could be bought by the firms who issue financial products, and in 2011, the US Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission described such agencies as essential cogs in the wheel of financial destruction and key enablers of the financial meltdown.

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