LONDON (Standard&Poor's) March 11, 2009--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that it assigned its 'AAA' long-term senior unsecured debt rating to the Bank of England's (AAA/Stable/A-1+) $2 billion bond issue, to mature March 19, 2012, and with a coupon of 2.375%, which was launched yesterday. This marks the third operation in the Bank's annual issuance program. The proceeds of the issue are dedicated to the Bank's own foreign exchange reserves. The rating on the bond is equalized with that on the Bank.