For the AP to claim that "illegal immigrant" is "accurate and neutral" is like Moody's giving Bernie Madoff's hedge fund a triple-A rating for safety and creditworthiness.

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The downgrades left Portugal one notch above junk rating and Greece's creditworthiness below that of Egypt.

BBC: Portugal and Greece downgraded on debt worries

Credit-rating agencies will also examine how to judge the creditworthiness of these things.

FORBES: Fact and Comment

When they determine that a bond issuer's creditworthiness has improved and upgrade the bonds, he says, the next rating change is equally likely to be up or down.

ECONOMIST: Rating agencies

The rating agency in August 2011 issued a historic downgrade of U.S. creditworthiness and threatened to lower it even further.

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So much so, in fact, that Fitch, a rating agency, has raised by one notch (to BBB minus) its view of Russia's creditworthiness.

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