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Correction: Fitch: 10-K Delay May Result in Watch Negative for United Rentals.


NEW YORK New York, state, United States
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of
 -- (This is a revised version of a press release issued earlier today and contains amended language throughout the release.)

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.
 said that the ratings for United Rentals, Inc. (URI Uri, in the Bible
Uri (y`rī), in the Bible.

1 Father of Bezaleel (1.)

2 Father of Geber (2.)

3 Porter.
) and its principal operating subsidiary, United Rentals (North America), Inc. (URNA URNA Utvar Rychleho Nasazeni (Czech republic police squad) ), may be placed on Rating Watch negative if the company does not complete its 2004 Report on Form 10-K Form 10-K

A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information.


Form 10-K

See 10-K.
 by Aug. 15, 2005.

URI announced on June 24, 2005, that the lenders under its secured credit facility have agreed to allow the company until Dec. 31, 2005, to complete its 2004 10-K, as well as Reports on Form 10-Q Form 10-Q

See 10-Q.
 for 2005 interim periods, until after the company's 2004 results are finalized.

A Rating Watch Negative placement would be driven by further delays in the filing of URI's 2004 10-K beyond the period it is required to complete the June 30, 2005 10-Q. URI has delayed finalizing 2004 results to allow time to review matters relating to the Securities and Exchange (SEC) inquiry of the company; complete work on an income tax restatement; complete the evaluation and testing of internal controls required by Sarbanes-Oxley section 404 (SOX 404); and conduct additional testing of its self insurance reserves in 2004 and prior periods. The size and scope of this project may have been more comprehensive than Fitch had previously anticipated, although the financial effect is not significantly material.

Additionally, URI would be closer to the one-year time horizon under which the NYSE NYSE

See: New York Stock Exchange
 allows companies to file financial statements before considering potentially suspending the company's listing. If URI's listing is suspended, it could reduce the company's access to an important source of capital, common equity, and have negative implications for financial flexibility.

Fitch's current ratings for URI and URNA are as follows:

United Rentals, Inc.

-- Subordinated debt Subordinated Debt

A loan (or security) that ranks below other loans (or securities) with regard to claims on assets or earnings. Also known as "junior security" or "subordinated loan".
 'B'.

United Rentals (North America), Inc. (Guaranteed by United Rentals, Inc.)

-- Senior secured debt 'BB';

-- Senior unsecured debt Unsecured debt

Debt that does not identify specific assets that the debtholder is entitled to in case of default.
 'BB-';

-- Subordinated debt 'B'.

The Rating Outlook for both URI and URNA is currently Stable.

While Fitch believes that securing a waiver from its bank group to extend the filing time for URI to complete its 2004 10-K is an important step in completing its financial statements, it is also recognized that this waiver does not include all of the company's lenders. Therefore, URI could be put into default if 25% of the non-bank lenders, for each issue, choose to do so. However, Fitch views this as an unlikely scenario given management's representations that URI's operating performance has trended upward in 2005 as well as overall improvement in the domestic non-residential construction sector.

Aside from the SEC investigation, there are two distinct financial accounting challenges facing URI. During testing of the company's internal controls, as required by SOX 404, URI determined that the provision for income taxes was higher than required for the reporting periods prior to 2004. URI has not finally determined the ramifications ramifications nplAuswirkungen pl  this will have on specific periods, but estimates the correction of this will result in a decrease in the provision for income taxes for prior years by a total of approximately $25 million, with a corresponding increase in net income. URI expects that it will restate its financial statements for the years 1999 through 2003 to correct the income tax provision.

While it is believed that this will not have a material effect on URI's financial statements prior to 2004, the scope of this project is extensive given the size of the company's revenue earning equipment portfolio.

The second area of focus as a result of the testing of the company's internal controls, as required by adoption of SOX 404, is URI's self-insurance reserves. URI self insures itself for claims of up to $2 million, currently. As such, URI's quarterly operating expenses Operating expenses

The amount paid for asset maintenance or the cost of doing business, excluding depreciation. Earnings are distributed after operating expenses are deducted.
 include a provision for future insurance losses. Through nine months 2004, URI increased its reserve for insurance losses to $68.7 million at Sept. 30, 2004 from $46.2 million at Dec. 31, 2004. In connection with SOX 404, URI will need to demonstrate, in consultation with outside actuaries, that its insurance provisions and reserves are appropriate.

Based in Greenwich, CT, URI is the largest equipment rental company in the world as measured by equipment fleet and rental revenue.

Fitch's rating definitions are available on the agency's public web site, www.fitchratings.com. Published ratings, criteria and methodologies and relevant policies and procedures Policies and Procedures are a set of documents that describe an organization's policies for operation and the procedures necessary to fulfill the policies. They are often initiated because of some external requirement, such as environmental compliance or other governmental  are also available from this site, at all times. This document will remain on the public site for seven days.
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No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
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Publication:Business Wire
Geographic Code:1USA
Date:Jul 8, 2005
Words:745
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