NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) Oct. 4, 2000-- Standard&Poor's today affirmed the ratings on Firstar Corp. and U.S. Bancorp. and their subsidiaries following the announcement of the merger of the two institutions. The banks' long-term counterparty credit rating at both companies is single-'A'-plus, and their subsidiaries are equivalently rated. The outlooks of both companies remain stable. The merger will create a $160 billion financial services company, to be named U.S. Bancorp., headquartered in Minneapolis, that spans the area from Oregon to Tennessee. The company will operate 2,200 branches in 24 states and will have an ATM network of 7,700, placing it in the top-fifth spot on both counts. First or second deposit market shares are achieved in
