(Reuters) - Moody’s on Friday cut the U.S. credit rating by one notch, citing rising debt and interest payments that outpace those of similarly rated sovereigns, in a move that marks the end of an era as Moody’s was the last major agency to maintain a triple-A rating for U.S. sovereign debt.

Moody's Ratings downgraded the U.S. credit rating by one notch, from a pristine Aaa to Aa1, citing persistent and rising government debt as causing the move.