Abstract: A curable composition including a compound, containing as polymerized units, carboxylic acid groups, anhydride groups, or salts thereof, and a styrene, ?-methyl styrene, butyl (meth)acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl (meth)acrylate, mono-alkyl (meth)acrylamide, or di-alkyl (meth)acrylamide ethylenically unsaturated monomer having a solubility in water of less than 2 g/100 g water at 25° C.; wherein the compound is either admixed with or copolymerized with a hydroxyl group-containing compound; the curable composition contains from about 3 to about 25 weight percent, based on the total weight of polymerized monomers in the curable composition, of the ethylenically unsaturated monomer; the ratio of the number of equivalents of the carboxylic acid groups, anhydride groups, or salts thereof to the number of equivalents of the hydroxyl groups is from about 1/0.01 to about ?, is provided.