Lending

Hungary: Forex Loan Problem to be Solved

According to the Hungarian National Bank (MNB), the problem of the foreign-exchange loans could be solved in the next half year.

January 17, 2014

Austrian State Sues Six Banks

The Republic of Austria filed lawsuits against six lending banks of bankrupt construction enterprise Alpine.

January 17, 2014

$ 1.0trn Capital Shortfall in European Banking Sector?

According to U.S. economists, the stress tests carried out by the European Central Bank are too soft.

January 16, 2014

Bulgaria: Loan Portfolios Expected to Increase

The increase in industrial production will have a positive effect on the number of loans taken out.

January 16, 2014

Hypo Group: No Alternative to Bad Bank

The time pressure on the Austrian government is growing day by day. The nationalized Austrian problem bank urgently needs a bad bank.

January 14, 2014

IMF and EBRD Deeply Concerned Over CESEE

Foreign banks continue to withdraw capital from the region. According to the International Monetary Fund, the development is highly considerable.

January 14, 2014

Raiffeisen Bank International Moves Up a Gear

The second-largest lender in CESEE is in a hurry. According to the news provider Bloomberg, the capital increase may take place in the next few weeks.

January 14, 2014

CESEE: Number of NPL Declining

According to a study by Bank Austria, the number of bad loans is declining in Central and Eastern Europe.

January 14, 2014

Basel III Framework to be Softened

The Basel Committee´s oversight body has amended the leverage ratio rules. For the banking industry, this step is an important success.

January 13, 2014

Europe/CESEE: Heavy Trade in Distressed Assets

Until 2018, European lenders will offload about 300bn of bad debts, according to PwC. Above all, U.S. private equity firms are taking the opportunity.

January 11, 2014

Austria: Significant Increase in Bank Levy

In 2014, the bank levy is expected to increase substantially. Austrian banks regard the levy as massive competitive disadvantage.

January 10, 2014

Hungary: Further Monetary Cuts Not Unlikely

Adam Balog, deputy governor of the Hungarian National Bank (MNB), argues that there is still downward potential.

January 10, 2014

RBI: Change in Shareholdings Expected

The announcement to increase capital by Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) did not come as a surprise. However, experts and investors did not expect such a high volume (up to € 2.5bn) and fear a dilution in shareholdings.

January 10, 2014

Eurozone: Further Capital Injections at Banks Expected

The Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) is holding a summit today. The low inflation rate in the Eurozone is still a dilemma for the monetary authorities.

January 9, 2014

Raiffeisen Bank International to Raise Capital

Austrian RBI will increase capital be € 2.25bn in summer 2014. This step was already long-awaited. The shareholder structure will change substantially.

January 8, 2014

RBI: No Withdrawal from Hungary

Due to massive losses, the second-largest lender in CESEE was said to leave the difficult Hungarian market. RBI denies such reports.

January 8, 2014

Hungary: Erste Group Confident

The third-largest lender in CESEE underlined that the Hungarian subsidiary will not be sold. The Austrian bank is confident to reach the turnaround soon.

January 6, 2014

First Offer for RBI´s Hungarian Subsidiary

The partly nationalized Hungarian lender Szechenyi Bank is interested in the Hungarian subsidiaries of the Austrian banks Erste Group and Raiffeisen Bank International.

January 6, 2014

Hypo Group Alpe Adria: „Bad Bank Will Come“

Klaus Liebscher, chairman of Hypo Group´s supervisory board, underlines that a bad bank will be established for the nationalized lender. Nevertheless, the bank remains the biggest financial disaster in Austria´s history.

January 4, 2014

Austria: „El Dorado for Borrowers“

According to Bank Austria´s management board member Dieter Hengl, Austria is an oasis for borrowers. Interest rates have reached an all-time low.

January 4, 2014

Eurozone: Number of Bank Credits Keeps Declining

The financial institutes in the Eurozone have been cutting back on granting credits. The lending for both business corporations and private persons has dropped by 2.3 percent.

January 3, 2014

Massive Change in Banking Landscape

The business model of banks comes more and more under pressure. In the next years, about the half of the bank shops will be closed, banking expert Hans-Gert Penzel predicts.

January 2, 2014

Austria: Hard Times for Regional Banks

Not only large banks are under pressure. In 2014, Austrian regional banks expect enormous challenges to deal with.

December 31, 2013

Hypo Group: Fatal Errors of Austrian National Bank

Before Hypo Group Alpe Adria was nationalized in late 2009, the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) has misjudged the situation of the problem bank completely. The Austrian government demonstrates its incompetence once again.

December 30, 2013

Slovenia: Public Debt Grows Unstopped

For Slovenia, the banking sector has infected the public sector for a long time. Now, Slovenia´s public debt begins to reach a dangerous level.

December 30, 2013

Hungary: Best Economic Outlook since 2002

After the country had left the double-dip recession, the Hungarian economic sentiment index has reached the highest level in more than 11 years. Nevertheless, the country still has to manage number of fundamental risks.

December 28, 2013

Croatia Needs Major Bridge Loan

In order to cover its fiscal shortfall, the youngest EU member country takes a bridge loan in the amount of € 200m.

December 28, 2013

Austria: „Lending Becomes More Expensive”

In an interview with the Austrian daily “Presse”, CEO of Hypo Vorarlberg Michael Grahammer talks about the future lending conditions. The corporate sector faces a drastic increase in borrowing costs.

December 27, 2013

Hypo Group: Austrian Government Seems Aimless

Although the restructuring of the nationalized Austrian lender is one of the most pressing issues, the Austrian government could not present a sound concept yet.

December 27, 2013

UniCredit Sells Bad Assets to Cerberus

The majority shareholder of Austrian Bawag acquires a portfolio worth €950m.

December 27, 2013

Austrian and Germans Offered Most for Bulgarian Schuldschein

Average interest rates for Bulgarian Schuldschein loan range between 3.4 to 4.6 percent. Austrian and German investors offered most of the € 290m loan.

December 23, 2013

Hungary: Positive Outlook, Negative Frame Conditions

In the short term, Hungary´s economy will accelerate. However, it is still uncertain whether the country achieves a sustainable return to growth.

December 21, 2013

CESEE: Dependence on Foreign Demand Remains Main Obstacle

In 2014, Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) faces a slight upward trend. The structural difficulties persist, however.

December 21, 2013

Austria: Slight Lending Growth

The Austrian National Bank (OeNB) rejects reports on credit shortages. In contrast to the Eurozone, Austria´s banking industry expands lending.

December 20, 2013

Austrian SME Suffer from Credit Shortage

The real economy benefits only partly from the low interest rates. According to Creditreform, borrowing becomes more and more difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises.

December 20, 2013

Banking Union Completed

The Finance Ministers of the Eurozone have reached a compromise on the last pillar of the banking union. The deposit protection mechanism will come into power in 2015.

December 19, 2013

Slovenia: Growth Forecast Cut Again

The World Bank predicts a longer recession in Slovenia. The Slovenian economy will not leave the recession behind before 2015.

December 19, 2013

Hypo Group´s Bankruptcy: Major Threat for Raiffeisen Sector

In case of Hypo Group Alpe Adria´s bankruptcy, the Austrian banking sector would have to absorb enormous write-offs. Above all, mortgage institutions in the Raiffeisen sector would be endangered.

December 19, 2013

Stable Outlook for CESEE Banking Industry

According to the U.S. rating agency fitch, the sector outlook remains stable in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. However, the well-known risks and weaknesses will persist.

December 19, 2013

CESEE: Potential to Return to Pre-Crisis Growth

According to a report published by the business adviser McKinsey, countries of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe are fundamentally strong.

December 18, 2013

Macedonian Banks Should Support Private Sector

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Stavreski calls upon Macedonian banks to support the private sector.

December 18, 2013

Hypo Group Insolvency: Total Damage of € 26bn

Ewald Nowotny, governor of the Austrian National Bank (OeNB), warns of follow-up costs in case of a bankruptcy of the Austrian nationalized lender.

December 17, 2013

Austrian Banks: “Less than No Interest” in Bad Bank Participation

According to Felderer, Austrian major banks have “less than no interest” in a participation of a Hypo Group’s bad bank.

December 17, 2013

Hungary: Good News for Banks in Forex Proceedings

Banks operating in Hungary can feel relieved by the Supreme Court’s judgement.

December 16, 2013

Bulgaria: S&P Downgrade Criticized Sharply

Bulgarian Minister of Economy Dragomir Stynev does not agree with S&P´s view on Bulgaria´s creditworthiness.

December 16, 2013

Slovenia: Haircut for Junior Bondholders

Subordinated bond holders of the state-owned Slovenian banks will lose their investments completely. This is part of the recapitalization scheme.

December 14, 2013

MNB Replaces Hungarian Banking Industry

In order to push economic growth rates, Hungary´s National Bank continues to support the subsidized loan program. The support should help to boost the construction of real estate.

December 14, 2013

Austrian Banking Industry Has to Fear Bank Tax Increase

At the end of this week, the Austrian social democrats and the conservatives agreed on continuing their coalition. Although the fiscal strategy is not fully known yet, a bank tax increase is likely.

December 14, 2013

Positive Respond to Slovenian Bank Recapitalization Plans

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development responds positively to the results of the asset quality review of Slovenian banks and the corresponding plans of the government.

December 13, 2013

Austrian Banking Industry Depends on Russia and Czech Republic

For the Austrian banking sector, the CESEE region is highly heterogeneous. In the first six months of 2013, net earnings totaled € 1.4bn in the region.

December 12, 2013
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