In Brief: Moody’s Upgrades Imperial Bancorp

NEW YORK — Moody’s Investors Service upgraded its ratings of Imperial Bancorp of Inglewood, Calif., to “A1,” from “Baa3,” and of Imperial Bank to “A3,” from “B1.”

The change comes after Comerica Inc.’s San Jose, Calif. unit bought Imperial on Jan. 30. Analyst Rosemarie Conforte said in a research note that Imperial’s debt ratings were raised to conform with Detroit-based Comerica’s rating, which she said was “A1.”

“As a bank affiliate of Comerica Bank, Imperial Bank now benefits from Comerica’s much bigger and more diversified franchise,” Ms. Conforte wrote.