STOCKHOLM (Standard&Poor's) Dec. 16, 2003--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today it raised its long- and short-term counterparty credit ratings on Sweden-based Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (SEB) to 'A/A-1' from 'A-/A-2'. The outlook is stable. At the same time, Standard&Poor's revised its outlook on Sweden-based Svenska Handelsbanken to positive from stable, and affirmed its 'A+/A-1' counterparty credit ratings on the bank. In addition, the outlooks on Norway-based Den norske Bank ASA (DnB) and Gjensidige NOR Sparebank (Union Bank of Norway), which recently merged, were also revised to positive from stable. The 'A/A-1' counterparty credit ratings on both institutions were affirmed. Standard&Poor's also affirmed its counterparty credit ratings on Finland-based OKO Osuuspankkien Keskuspankki Oyj (OKO
