TOKYO (FWN) - The Bank of Japan said outstanding commercial paper underwritten by banks reached a record high of 21.74 trln yen in November, up 20.1 pct year-on-year. The previous record was 21.73 trln yen in July. "The amount tends to be higher around the end of the year," a bank official said, adding that it remains unclear whether the collapse of Enron Corp and Taisei Fire and Marine Insurance will discourage firms from issuing CPs. "The overall trend of firms issuing CPs has not changed as far as we can see from November's figure," he said. Overall bank lending fell 4.3 pct in November, the 47th consecutive month of decline.