In Brief: S&P Places Beneficial On Credit Watch List

Standard & Poor's Corp. put Beneficial Corp. and its units on the CreditWatch list with developing implications after the company announced it had hired Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Merrill Lynch & Co. to explore strategic alternatives.

Previously, Standard & Poor's outlook on Beneficial had been negative because of the "more difficult operating environment for the company's core consumer finance business."

Beneficial will remain on the CreditWatch list until it announces the results of its strategic review, Standard & Poor's said.

Beneficial announced Tuesday that it had hired the investment banks for the strategy review. The announcement sent the company's stock soaring more than $30 a share.

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