The BIS is releasing today its consolidated statistics on the maturity, sectoral and nationality distribution of international bank lending for end-December 2001, together with summary tables. The statistics are available on the BIS website (www.bis.org). A second set of BIS international banking statistics - the locational statistics - will be released on 27 May 2002 in the BIS Quarterly Review of International Banking and Financial Market Developments. The BIS international banking data are also included in the joint BIS-IMF-OECD-World Bank quarterly statistical release on external debt.