market street commitments by credit rating ( a ) december 31 , december 31 .
did the share of securities rated aaa/aaa increase between 2008 and 2009?
( a ) the majority of our facilities are not explicitly rated by the rating agencies . all facilities are structured to meet rating agency standards for applicable rating levels . we evaluated the design of market street , its capital structure , the note , and relationships among the variable interest holders . based on this analysis and under accounting guidance effective during 2009 and 2008 , we are not the primary beneficiary and therefore the assets and liabilities of market street are not included on our consolidated balance sheet . we considered changes to the variable interest holders ( such as new expected loss note investors and changes to program- level credit enhancement providers ) , terms of expected loss notes , and new types of risks related to market street as reconsideration events . we reviewed the activities of market street on at least a quarterly basis to determine if a reconsideration event has occurred . tax credit investments we make certain equity investments in various limited partnerships or limited liability companies ( llcs ) that sponsor affordable housing projects utilizing the low income housing tax credit ( lihtc ) pursuant to sections 42 and 47 of the internal revenue code . the purpose of these investments is to achieve a satisfactory return on capital , to facilitate the sale of additional affordable housing product offerings and to assist us in achieving goals associated with the community reinvestment act . the primary activities of the investments include the identification , development and operation of multi-family housing that is leased to qualifying residential tenants . generally , these types of investments are funded through a combination of debt and equity . we typically invest in these partnerships as a limited partner or non-managing member . also , we are a national syndicator of affordable housing equity ( together with the investments described above , the 201clihtc investments 201d ) . in these syndication transactions , we create funds in which our subsidiaries are the general partner or managing member and sell limited partnership or non-managing member interests to third parties , and in some cases may also purchase a limited partnership or non-managing member interest in the fund . the purpose of this business is to generate income from the syndication of these funds , generate servicing fees by managing the funds , and earn tax credits to reduce our tax liability . general partner or managing member activities include selecting , evaluating , structuring , negotiating , and closing the fund investments in operating limited partnerships , as well as oversight of the ongoing operations of the fund portfolio . we evaluate our interests and third party interests in the limited partnerships/llcs in determining whether we are the primary beneficiary . the primary beneficiary determination is based on which party absorbs a majority of the variability . the primary sources of variability in lihtc investments are the tax credits , tax benefits due to passive losses on the investments and development and operating cash flows . we have consolidated lihtc investments in which we absorb a majority of the variability and thus are considered the primary beneficiary . the assets are primarily included in equity investments and other assets on our consolidated balance sheet with the liabilities classified in other liabilities and third party investors 2019 interests included in the equity section as noncontrolling interests . neither creditors nor equity investors in the lihtc investments have any recourse to our general credit . the consolidated aggregate assets and liabilities of these lihtc investments are provided in the consolidated vies 2013 pnc is primary beneficiary table and reflected in the 201cother 201d business segment . we also have lihtc investments in which we are not the primary beneficiary , but are considered to have a significant variable interest based on our interests in the partnership/llc . these investments are disclosed in the non-consolidated vies 2013 significant variable interests table . the table also reflects our maximum exposure to loss . our maximum exposure to loss is equal to our legally binding equity commitments adjusted for recorded impairment and partnership results . we use the equity and cost methods to account for our investment in these entities with the investments reflected in equity investments on our consolidated balance sheet . in addition , we increase our recognized investments and recognize a liability for all legally binding unfunded equity commitments . these liabilities are reflected in other liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet . credit risk transfer transaction national city bank , ( a former pnc subsidiary which merged into pnc bank , n.a . in november 2009 ) sponsored a special purpose entity ( spe ) and concurrently entered into a credit risk transfer agreement with an independent third party to mitigate credit losses on a pool of nonconforming mortgage loans originated by its former first franklin business unit . the spe was formed with a small equity contribution and was structured as a bankruptcy-remote entity so that its creditors have no recourse to us . in exchange for a perfected security interest in the cash flows of the nonconforming mortgage loans , the spe issued to us asset-backed securities in the form of senior , mezzanine , and subordinated equity notes . the spe was deemed to be a vie as its equity was not sufficient to finance its activities . we were determined to be the primary beneficiary of the spe as we would absorb the majority of the expected losses of the spe through our holding of the asset-backed securities . accordingly , this spe was consolidated and all of the entity 2019s assets , liabilities , and .