Acquisition of Economic Research and Data Capabilities Complements Moody's

Research Business; Supports Economy.com's Business Expansion

NEW YORK, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO) today announced that it has acquired Economy.com, a leading independent provider of economic research and data services, for $27 million. The acquisition will deepen Moody's analytical capabilities to broader areas of economic and demographic research, expand the range of products and services offered to institutional customers and introduce new customers to Moody's. It will provide Economy.com with access to Moody's extensive client base, deep product marketing capabilities, and other resources needed to expand its business. The transaction was funded by cash on hand and closed today. Additional terms of the transaction will not be disclosed and the financial impact to Moody's is not expected to be material.

"Economy.com is widely recognized as an authoritative source of insightful economic analyses," said Raymond W. McDaniel, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Moody's Corporation . "This is a sound combination that creates good opportunities for growth. Moody's global reach and scale will help accelerate the growth of Economy.com's business, while Economy.com's expertise extends Moody's analytical capabilities."

"There is no better company with which we could team up than Moody's," said Paul Getman, President and co-founder of Economy.com. "Moody's distinguished reputation as an objective commentator on credit risk fits well with our role as an evaluator of micro- and macro-economic trends. We are confident that this combination will help accelerate Economy.com's business significantly."

The company, to be renamed Moody's Economy.com, will continue to be jointly managed by Getman and Mark Zandi, Chief Economist. Both Getman and Zandi will report to Mark Almeida, Senior Managing Director, Moody's Investors Service.

About Moody's Corporation

Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO) is the parent company of Moody's Investors Service, a leading provider of credit ratings, research and analysis covering debt instruments and securities in the global capital markets, and Moody's KMV, a leading provider of credit risk processing and credit risk management products for banks and investors in credit-sensitive assets serving the world's largest financial institutions. The corporation, which reported revenue of $1.4 billion in 2004, employs approximately 2,700 people worldwide and maintains offices in 20 countries. Further information is available at http://www.moodys.com.

About Economy.com

Economy.com, Inc. is a leading independent provider of economic, financial, country, and industry research designed to meet the diverse planning and information needs of businesses, governments, and professional investors worldwide. Its research has many dimensions: country analysis; financial markets; industrial markets; and regional markets. Economy.com's information and services are used in a variety of ways, including strategic planning; product and sales forecasting; risk and sensitivity management; and as investment research by over 500 clients worldwide, including the largest commercial and investment banks; insurance companies; financial services firms; mutual funds; governments at all levels; manufacturers; utilities; and industrial and technology clients. Economy.com was founded in 1990 and is an employee-owned corporation, headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. It also maintains offices in London, England; Ottawa, Canada; and Sydney, Australia. More information is available at http://www.economy.com.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Certain statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements and are based on future expectations, plans and prospects for Moody's business and operations that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements and other information are made as of November 17, 2005, and the Company disclaims any duty to supplement, update or revise such statements on a going-forward basis, whether as a result of subsequent developments, changed expectations or otherwise. In connection with the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Company is identifying certain factors that could cause actual results to differ, perhaps materially, from those indicated by these forward-looking statements. Those factors include, but are not limited to, changes in the volume of debt securities issued in domestic and/or global capital markets; changes in interest rates and other volatility in the financial markets; possible loss of market share through competition; introduction of competing products or technologies by other companies; pricing pressures from competitors and/or customers; the potential emergence of government-sponsored credit rating agencies; proposed U.S., foreign, state and local legislation and regulations, including those relating to Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations; possible judicial decisions in various jurisdictions regarding the status of and potential liabilities of rating agencies; the possible loss of key employees to investment or commercial banks or elsewhere and related compensation cost pressures; the outcome of any review by controlling tax authorities of the Company's global tax planning initiatives; the outcome of those tax and legal contingencies that relate to Old D&B , its predecessors and their affiliated companies for which the Company has assumed portions of the financial responsibility; the outcome of other legal actions to which the Company, from time to time, may be named as a party; the ability of the Company to successfully integrate the KMV and MRMS businesses; a decline in the demand for credit risk management tools by financial institutions; and other risk factors as discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004 and in other filings made by the Company from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE  Moody's Corporation

    -0-                             11/17/2005
    /CONTACT:  Frances G. Laserson, Vice President, Corporate Communications,
+1-212-553-7758, fran.laserson@moodys.com, or Michael D. Courtian, Vice
President, Investor Relations and Corporate Finance, +1-212-553-7194,
michael.courtian@moodys.com, both of Moody's Corporation
/
    /Web site:  http://www.moodys.com
                http://www.economy.com /
    (MCO)

CO:  Moody's Corporation
; Economy.com
ST:  New York
IN:  FIN CPR
SU:  TNM

LD
-- NYTH156 --
3478 11/17/2005 12:18 EST http://www.prnewswire.com