PARIS (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) Sept. 12, 2000--Standard&Poor's today assigned first ratings to Iccrea Banca SpA in Italy. Single-'A' long-term and 'A-1' short-term counterparty credit and certificate of deposit ratings were assigned. The outlook is stable. The ratings primarily reflect Iccrea Banca's status as the central bank of the Banche di Credito Cooperativo (BCCs), a large and cohesive group of small cooperative banks, characterized by a solid aggregate financial profile. They also take into account Iccrea Banca's capital base, which is appropriate for its business; low credit risk; and ownership by Iccrea Holding, the holding company of the group that is in charge of providing services and products to the BCCs. The BCC network groups 530 cooperative rural
