Moody's on Monday downgraded the long-term ratings of top American lenders such as JPMorgan Chase , Bank of America and Wells Fargo , after pushing the U.S. out of top triple-A rating club over its burgeoning $36 trillion debt.

U.S. stocks pared early losses Monday as investors largely shook off concerns about the U.S. government's growing debt problem.

Long-term bond yields ticked higher after Moody’s became the last credit agency to remove the U.S. from its top rung of borrowers. Standard & Poor’s downgrade of U.S. debt in 2011 caused Treasuries to rally as investors paradoxically sought safety in government bonds.