LONDON (Standard & Poor's) Aug. 1, 2005--Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said today it raised its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Germany-based holding company and reinsurer R+V Versicherung AG (RVV) to 'A+' from 'A'. This follows the upgrade of RVV's parent, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftsbank (DZ BANK; A/Stable/A-1), on July 29, 2005 (see "Ratings On DZ BANK And Various German Cooperative Sector Banks Raised; Outlook Stable," published July 29, 2005, on RatingsDirect, Standard & Poor's Web-based credit analysis system). The outlook is stable. "The ratings are based on the R+V group's (R+V) superior operating characteristics compared with the German cooperative banking sector, as well as its independent financial integrity, very strong capitalization, very strong overall
