Duff & Phelps Credit Rating Co. evaluates each pool on the basis of individual loan characteristics and determines credit support levels based on defined and published factors and multiples. As the credit quality of pool deteriorates, credit support levels for each rating level will increase. Ironically, despite the declines in mortgage pool characteristics, some transactions not rated by Duff & Phelps are being issued with lower credit enhancement or higher ratings. Duff & Phelps warns investors not to conclude that. lower levels of credit enhancement on those transactions indicate better credit quality. On the contrary, Duff & Phelps believes credit enhancement levels should be higher on those transactions to reflect a reduced level of asset quality.