HONG KONG (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) Jan. 8, 2000--Standard&Poor's today assigned its triple-'B'-plus long-term and 'A-2' short-term counterparty ratings on the Bank of East Asia (BEA). The outlook is stable. The bank's market position, good liquidity, capital strength, manageable asset quality and adequate profitability support the ratings. BEA's financial parameters, except for capitalization, are unlikely to be materially affected by the proposed cash acquisition of First Pacific Bank (FPB). While post-acquisition capitalization, after deducting goodwill, would decline, it remains adequate given the bank's expected risk profile. Standard&Poor's has also assigned a preliminary rating of triple-'B' on the proposed US$500 million 10-year subordinated fixed rate notes to be issued by East Asia Financial Holding (BVI) Ltd., a
