Fitch lowers ratings of banks with home-equity exposure

Citing deteriorating performance of home-equity loans, Fitch Ratings has lowered the debt ratings of some big name banks including Washington Mutual, Wells Fargo, National City, Providian Financial and First Horizon, while warning it may take similar action toward Bank of America, Citigroup, Fifth Third Bancorp and SunTrust.

Home-equity delinquency rates are rising at "a far more rapid pace than even most bankers' and analysts' grim outlook for 2008 had anticipated," Fitch analysts said.

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