According to an announcement made in the beginning of June, international rating agency Moody's Investors Services downgraded the ratings of six Baltic banks, including the rating of BIGBANK on 25th of June 2009.

BIGBANK's new financial strength rating is "E" with stable outlook. Bank's long term deposit rating is now "Caa1" with negative outlook.

Commenting the rating changes, Moody's referred to overall economic recession in the Baltic states that will have effect on banks' results. Rating agency is generally negative about the prospects of the Baltic economies and focuses primarily on evaluating the activities of larger banks. Comparison of smaller specialized banks is not automatically so easy as there are few specialized banks in the Baltic region.