“Standard & Poor’s downgrading of the U.S. government’s credit rating does not have any impact on individual states ratings, meaning those states that have the highest AAA rating won’t have to face an automatic downgrade. There are 13 states that have the coveted Triple A credit rating by S&P, and many other states that have the same AA+ credit rating as the U.S., but with a “stable” outlook rather than the “negative” outlook of the U.S. That’s because bond issuers that have little dependence on the federal government, or that are likely to manage federal budget cuts without hurting their credit, should be able to hold on to their top ratings, an S&P analyst wrote.” [via the Business Journals]