LONDON (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) Feb. 22, 2001--Standard&Poor's today affirmed its single-'A' long-term and 'A-1' short-term credit ratings on Swedbank and related entities. The outlook is stable. A complete list of ratings is available on RatingsDirect, Standard&Poor's Web-based credit analysis system, or by calling the Standard&Poor's Ratings Desk on: London (44) 20-7826-3540. At the same time, Standard&Poor's placed its single-'A'-minus long-term and 'A-2' short-term credit ratings on Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (SEB) on CreditWatch with positive implications (see list below). The rating action on SEB follows today's announcement that SEB and Swedbank plan to merge. The ratings on the two entities reflect the strong market position of the combined groups in the
