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Standard & Poor's on Friday raised the pressure on debt negotiators in Washington, saying it could downgrade insurers, securities clearinghouses, mortgage agencies and a laundry list of other firms without a deal soon to lift the debt ceiling and cut the deficit.
While S&P had already made clear it could downgrade the United States' sovereign credit rating, the Friday move struck directly at the heart of the financial system, raising the prospect of knock-on effects should the country exhaust its ability to borrow to pay bills.
S&P characterized its targets as "entities with direct links to, or reliance on, the federal government."
"S&P is firing a warning shot, saying the entire financial clearing system is in question," said Peter Niculescu, a partner at Capital Markets Risk Advisors, a risk management advisory firm in New York.
He raised the prospect of a financing squeeze for financial institutions if Treasury debt is downgraded. S&P said Friday it still sees the risk of default as "small, though increasing."