FRANKFURT (Standard&Poor's) May 9, 2002--Standard&Poor's said today it affirmed its single-'A'-plus counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Germany-based R+V Versicherung AG (RVV). The affirmation is mainly based on the financial strength that RVV derives from its core subsidiaries, R+V Lebensversicherung AG (RVL; Api/--/--) and R+V Allgemeine Versicherung AG (RVA; A+pi/--/--). The outlook is negative. "The ratings on RVV reflect the status of R+V as an integral part of the German cooperative banking sector," said Wolfgang Rief, a director at Standard&Poor's Financial Services Group in Frankfurt. "Based on its system of solidarity and its comprehensive protective scheme, Standard&Poor's considers this sector to be a single economic group, with continuing weak asset
