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Correct: Fitch Changes Duke Energy & Subs Rating Outlook to Negative.


Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 19, 2002

(In a press release issued earlier today, the number of transactions reported to FERC FERC Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
FERC FEMA Emergency Response Capability
 as wash trades was misstated. The amended press release follows.)

Fitch Ratings-New York-July 19, 2002: Fitch Ratings Fitch Ratings

An international rating agency for financial institutions, insurance companies, and corporate, sovereign, and municipal debt. Fitch Ratings has headquarters in New York and London and is wholly owned by FIMALAC of Paris.
 has changed the Rating Outlook of Duke Energy Corp. and subsidiaries Duke Capital Corp, Texas Eastern Transmission Company and PanEnergy Corp. to Negative from Stable. Fitch also lowered Duke Energy's commercial paper rating to 'F1' from 'F1+'. The rating action reflects the uncertainties arising from the company's response to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) request for information about round trip energy trades.

In its response to the SEC, Duke identified 23 paired transactions that had the apparent purpose of increasing volumes on the Intercontinental in·ter·con·ti·nen·tal  
adj.
1. Extending or taking place between or among continents: intercontinental exploration; intercontinental cooperation.

2.
 Exchange (ICE) electronic trading This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject.
Please help recruit one or [ improve this article] yourself. See the talk page for details.
 platform, of which Duke is one of 13 equity owners. The trades inflated revenues by $126 million, but had no impact on earnings. The company also indicated it was still investigating 3,000 additional trades. Duke had previously disclosed 16 of 80,000 trades in the western market fit the definition of wash trades as defined by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the United States federal agency with jurisdiction over electricity sales, wholesale electric rates, hydroelectric licensing, natural gas pricing, and oil pipeline rates.  (FERC). While the revenue associated with the matched trades is immaterial Not essential or necessary; not important or pertinent; not decisive; of no substantial consequence; without weight; of no material significance.


immaterial adj.
 in comparison to consolidated revenue of $51 billion, the negative outlook reflects the potential for further disclosures and the impact on capital market access.

The previous Stable Rating Outlook assumed Duke would issue about $1 billion of equity or equity hybrids in 2002 to provide permanent funding of its acquisition of Westcoast Energy. Fitch will continue to monitor Duke's ability to execute its financial plan as well as the credit impact of its substantial capital program.

The ratings of Duke Energy and its subsidiaries are as follows:

Duke Energy

--First Mortgage Bonds, 'AA-';

--Senior Unsecured Debt Unsecured debt

Debt that does not identify specific assets that the debtholder is entitled to in case of default.
, 'A+';

--Preferred Stock, 'A';

--Trust Preferred, 'A';

--Commercial Paper, lowered to 'F1' from 'F1+'.

Duke Capital

--Senior Unsecured Debt, 'A';

--Trust preferred Stock Stock shares that have preferential rights to dividends or to amounts distributable on liquidation, or to both, ahead of common shareholders.

Preferred stock is given preference over common stock. Holders of preferred stock receive dividends at a fixed annual rate.
, 'A-';

--Commercial Paper, 'F1'.

Texas Eastern Transmission Corp.

--Senior notes, 'A-'.

PanEnergy Corp.

--Debentures, 'A-'.
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Publication:Business Wire
Geographic Code:1USA
Date:Jul 19, 2002
Words:336
Previous Article:The WM Group's Northwest 50 Stock Index.
Next Article:Fitch Upgr Indian Trace Dev. Dist., Florida Spec. Assess. Bnds To 'A-'.
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