Sponsored Content
        Vienna International Banking Industry News
Read the latest headlines about developments in the international banking industry in Vienna and Austria
          
    
        OeNB: Developments in the Sovereign Debt Crisis Will Be Crucial for Financial Stability
      
      The Austrian National Bank (OeNB) presented the 22nd Financial Stability Report.
                                  December 16, 2011                                        
    
    
        VBAG Supervisory Board Resolves New Divisional Structure
      
      The Austrian bank will sell its subsidiaries that are not part of the core business. The headcount will be reduced by 20% by the end of 2013.
                                  December 15, 2011                                        
    
    
        Changes to the Management Board of Erste Group
      
      The Supervisory Board of the Austrian bank took several personnel decisions that concern the holding company as well as the subsidiaries in Hungary and Romania.
                                  December 15, 2011                                        
    
    
        Building Saving: Financing Becomes more Difficult
      
      In Austria, 45,000 new apartments are needed, causing finance requirements of € 8.8bn. Meeting this demand becomes harder.
                                  December 14, 2011                                        
    
    
        € 230m Capital Increase at Hypo Tirol
      
      The province of Tyrol, the owner of Hypo Tirol, decided to strengthen the bank´s capital base. From where the funds will be provided, is not clear yet.
                                  December 12, 2011                                        
    
    
        Erste Group Increases Stake in BCR to 82%
      
      In connection with the implementation of agreements with the Romanian SIFs, Erste Group has acquired a further approx. 7% stake in BCR against cash and issuance of new shares.
                                  December 12, 2011                                        
    
    
        Austrian Investor Interested in Croatian Aluminum Company
      
      The Austrian financial investor Michael Tojner is a potential buyer of the Croatian aluminum manufacturer TLM-TVP, which is owned by Hypo Group.
                                  December 10, 2011                                        
    
    
        Treichl: „9% Quota Is Adequate“
      
      The CEO of Erste Group, Andreas Treichl, is optimistic to achieve the prescribed 9% tier 1 capital quota by mid-2012.
                                  December 10, 2011                                        
    
    
        Nowotny Attacks EBA
      
      The Governor of the Austrian Central Bank (OeNB), Ewald Nowotny, criticizes the high speed which EBA requires from banks to build up equity capital.
                                  December 9, 2011                                        
    
    
        Erste Group: Drastic Cut in Hungary
      
      The Austrian bank cuts 450 jobs in Hungary. However, Erste Group emphasizes to stay in Central and Eastern Europe.
                                  December 9, 2011                                        
    
    
        Reduced, But Still High Shortfall at Austrian Banks
      
      EBA shortfall for RZB Group set at approximately € 2.1bn, for Erste Group at € 0.74bn. However, the initial shortfalls were reduced for RZB.
                                  December 8, 2011                                        
    
    
        Hypo Tirol Needs Capital Increase
      
      The Tyrolean bank suffers from a low equity capital quota. After major write-offs in Italy, the core capital amounts to 5.8%.
                                  December 7, 2011                                        
    
    
        Rising Finance Requirements Due to Increase in Investments
      
      According to the Erste Bank’s forecast on savings and loans, the average financing amount in Austria amounts to € 81,800.
                                  December 7, 2011                                        
    
    
        Major Job Cut at Hypo Group
      
      A spokesman from the Austrian Hypo Alpe Adria confirmed plans for further layoffs. In the medium run, the bank wants to reduce staff by 500 posts at least.
                                  December 5, 2011                                        
    
    
        Further Write-Offs at Hypo Tirol Possible
      
      The Tyrolean bank could make further write-offs in 2012. Non-performing loans of € 30m in Italy are still in the books.
                                  December 5, 2011                                        
    
    
        Hypo Group: € 3.0bn Debts at BayernLB
      
      The nationalized Hypo Group is still massively indebted at its former holding company, the German BayernLB. The loan will be due by the end of 2013.
                                  December 3, 2011                                        
    
    
        Polish Financial Market Authority Claims RBI´s Quotation
      
      The Vice-President of the Polish financial market authority, Wojciech Kwasniak, asks the Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International to quote in Warsaw, besides the listing in Vienna.
                                  December 3, 2011                                        
    
    
        S Immo Announces Changes in Shareholding Structure
      
      The Austrian real estate company S Immo clarifies that the two core shareholders still remain in S Immo and hold a threshold beyond 9% each.
                                  December 3, 2011                                        
    
    
        Hypo Tirol Expects Loss of € 110m
      
      The Austrian regional bank’s result will be impacted by major write-downs of non-performing loans in Italy.
                                  December 2, 2011                                        
    
    
        Legal Success for Bank Austria
      
      A Swiss court granted the bank’s appeal against an obligation to pay € 245m to a German public body.
                                  December 2, 2011                                        
    
    
        Volksbanken Group Takes Back Restructuring Decisions
      
      The Austrian group cancelled the planned spin-off of its banking operations due to the deterioration of the market environment.
                                  December 1, 2011                                        
    
    
        Erste Group Buys Remaining Shares in Romanian BCR
      
      The Austrian bank has reached an agreement with the last one of five regional investment funds to acquire its stake of 6%.
                                  November 30, 2011                                        
    
    
        Austria to Sell Nationalized Bank Kommunalkredit
      
      The nationalized lender has to be sold by mid-2013. Finance Minister Fekter hopes for proceeds of € 500m.
                                  November 29, 2011                                        
    
    
        Romania Protests Against Austria´s Banks
      
      The Austrian Central Bank and the Financial Market Authority announced to oblige domestic banks to reduce their exposure in the CEE region. Romania fears a credit crunch.
                                  November 28, 2011                                        
    
    
        Stock Swap at Erste Group
      
      The Austrian bank increases its stake in the Romanian BCR by 6.23% against cash and issuance of new shares
                                  November 28, 2011                                        
    
    
        Treichl to be Confirmed as CEO
      
      Erste Group´s CEO Andreas Treichl will extend his function at the Austrian major bank.
                                  November 26, 2011                                        
    
    
        Volksbanken Group Result Negatively Impacted by Extraordinary Write-Downs
      
      The Austrian bank posted a consolidated loss of € 689m for the first nine months of the year. The annual result is expected to decrease even further.
                                  November 25, 2011                                        
    
    
        Financial Market Authority Terminates Inquiry Against CEO of Erste Group
      
      The head of the Austrian bank group had been accused of balance sheed fraud. A second investigation for alleged market manipulation is still ongoing.
                                  November 24, 2011                                        
    
    
        Growing Capital Shortfall at Volksbanken Group
      
      The Austrian bank will need another € 200m in order to comply with the EBA’s capital requirements. The price for the sale of VBI might be reduced to € 500m.
                                  November 24, 2011                                        
    
    
        RBI Posts Decline in Nine-Month Profit
      
      The Austrian bank might have to write down the goodwill on its Ukrainian subsidiary. Consolidated profit declined by 4.8% to € 745m in the first three quarters.
                                  November 24, 2011                                        
    
    
        Austrian Minister of Economics Criticizes Hungary
      
      On the occasion of a bilateral meeting between the Hungarian and the Austrian Minister of Economics Reinhold Mitterlehner repeated his critics regarding Hungarian foreign currency loans.
                                  November 21, 2011                                        
    
    
        Austrian Central Bank Calls for Rise in Equity for Banks
      
      The Austrian Central Bank (OeNB) prescribes Austrian banks to raise their equity base. By 2016, a further capital base of 3.0% is required.
                                  November 21, 2011                                        
    
    
        Increasing Capital Requirements for Austrian Banks
      
      The Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) needs to raise its equity base by € 2.5bn instead of € 1.9bn, the bank supervision claims.
                                  November 19, 2011                                        
    
    
        AutoBank Achieves Further Growth
      
      The Austrian specialist bank increased new business volume to € 59.6m. The operating result more than doubled and amounted to € 817,000.
                                  November 18, 2011                                        
    
    
        BKS Posts Decline in Profits
      
      The two sister banks Oberbank and BTV were more successful in the first nine months of the year. Consolidated net income went up by 8.2%.
                                  November 18, 2011                                        
    
    
        Raiffeisen’s Capital Shortfall Grows to € 2.5bn
      
      The Austrian bank said it would not require state support to ensure compliance with the new requirements set by the European Banking Authority.
                                  November 18, 2011                                        
    
    
        Jobs to be Cut at Bank Austria
      
      After the announcement of high write-offs yesterday, the Austrian subsidiary of UniCredit will reduce its staff from 10,800 to 10,000 by 2015.
                                  November 15, 2011                                        
    
    
        High Losses for Bank Austria
      
      Due to high write-offs in Ukraine and Kazakhstan, losses amount to € 600m in the third quarter. The first nine months bring profits of only € 4.5m.
                                  November 14, 2011                                        
    
    
        UniCredit to Withdraw from CEE?
      
      The holding company of Bank Austria, the Italian UniCredit, may close its operations in Eastern Europe. The consequences for Bank Austria are unknown.
                                  November 14, 2011                                        
    
    
        Immofinanz Refinances Shopping Mall in Moscow
      
      ZAO Raiffeisenbank provides a major loan for the Austrian real estate group in order to expand operations in Russia.
                                  November 14, 2011                                        
    
    
        OeNB and People’s Bank of China Sign Investment Agreement
      
      The agreement enables the Austrian National Bank to Invest via PBC in Renminbi-denominated assets.
                                  November 10, 2011                                        
    
    
        Raiffeisen Cuts Staff in Czech Republic
      
      The Austrian banks local unit has reacted to increasing costs and the poor economic outlook.
                                  November 9, 2011                                        
    
    
        Massive Layoffs at Volksbanken Group
      
      Hundreds of employees of the Austrian bank will lose their job in the next years, according to media reports.
                                  November 9, 2011                                        
    
    
        Bawag Sues Linz For € 418m
      
      The U.S.-owned bank now sues the Upper-Austrian capital. Linz has terminated a swap contract based on Swiss Francs.
                                  November 8, 2011                                        
    
    
        Growth Potential in CEE Banking Sector
      
      The Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International has a very favourable growth outlook for six CEE banking markets representing 80 per cent of the region's total banking assets
                                  November 8, 2011                                        
    
    
        Hungary Rejects Further Bank Charges
      
      Contrary to its initial plans, Hungary will not resolve further aid measures for domestic loan takers. The government is seeking for cooperation with concerned banks.
                                  November 5, 2011                                        
    
    
        Moody´s Considers Downgrade of Erste Group
      
      The rating agency says that a downgrade of the long-term rating of Erste Group from “Baa1” to “Baa2”is probable.
                                  November 5, 2011                                        
    
    
        Moody’s: Downgrade of Erste Group Likely
      
      The Austrian bank will likely be downgraded from “Baa1” to “Baa2”, the rating agency says.
                                  November 4, 2011                                        
    
    
        Capital Needs of Austrian Banks Total € 4bn
      
      The increase is mainly a result of Erste Group’s third quarter loss, according to OeNB’s Executive Director Andreas Ittner.
                                  November 3, 2011                                        
    
    
        Erich Hampel New Chairman of Bank Austria’s Supervisory Board
      
      The Austrian succeeds Paolo Fiorentino who will remain on the board as deputy chairman.
                                  November 3, 2011                                        
    
      
    