TOKYO (Standard&Poor's) Dec. 5, 2002 -- Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that the announcement by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC) on Wednesday that it is considering aquiring a stake in Aozora Bank is not likely to have an immediate impact on SMBC's ratings. Standard&Poor's does not have detailed information on the size of the possible stake or the purchase price, according to Director of Financial Institutions Ratings Naoko Nemoto, but even if SMBC becomes the largest shareholder in Aozora as mentioned in media reports, the impact on SMBC's ratings would be limited given SMBC's large asset size, she said. Aozora has about ¥6 trillion in assets, compared with SMBC's ¥104 trillion (on a consolidated
