Official lending is much larger in aggregate, but growing at a slower rate.

FORBES: How Scary Is China's Shadow Banking System?

On Thursday, the European Central Bank cut its official deposit rate for overnight lending to the central bank by 50 basis points, to 1.0%, below its 2.5% benchmark rate, in an attempt to wean banks off the safety of its vaults and thus stimulate interbank lending.

FORBES: Market Scan

The rate at which banks lend to each other has been rising, which has meant that banks are toughening up their lending terms even though official interest rates are falling.

BBC: Government plans to help UK banks

One Fed official thinks the first boost in the short-term lending rate won't occur until 2016.

NPR: Fed Stands By Stimulus, Sees Stronger US Economy

Without both, Ecuador will not get the stand-by agreement with the Fund that it needs to renegotiate its debts to bilateral official lenders abroad, and open the door to new multilateral lending.

ECONOMIST: Ecuador

The official explanation is that the move combines their strengths: Unexim in investment banking, Menatep in lending to companies, and Most in retail banking.

ECONOMIST: Russian banks