London -- Standard&Poor's CreditWire 11/5/97 -- Standard&Poor's today assigned its single-'A' long-term counterparty credit rating to Credito Italiano SpA. The outlook on the rating is stable. At the same time, the bank's short-term counterparty rating of 'A-1' is affirmed. The ratings reflect the bank's strong and improved market position in Italy, better asset quality, and superior management team. Credito Italiano is among the largest banking groups in Italy, with total consolidated assets of Italian lira (ITL) 175,067 billion (approximately US$101 billion) at year-end 1996. In February 1996, Credito Italiano took control of Credito Romagnolo, which was merged with Carimonte Banca to form Rolo Banca 1473 SpA on Dec. 31, 1995. Rolo Banca is a leading bank
