NEW YORK - Ratings at Bank of New York Co. and its banks were  confirmed recently by Standard & Poor's ratings group. Approximately $1.8   billion of outstanding long-term debt is affected.   
Additionally, Standard & Poor's said it has revised its long-term debt  ratings outlook on the parent and its affiliates to "positive" from   "stable."   
  
In explaining its elevated long-term outlook on Bank of New York, S&P  cited a strong operating performance derived from a diverse set of national   and regional credit and fee-based businesses.   
"Bank of New York has assembled valuable credit card and securities  processing franchises, maintains a prominent position in wholesale lending,   and is expanding its retail network in suburban New York City," said S&P.   
  
The rating agency expects the pending acquisitions of J.P. Morgan's and  BankAmerica's securities processing business to propel Bank of New York   into the top tier of master trust-custody banks with $2.9 trillion of   custodial assets.