NPL Non Performing Loans

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

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

CESEE: Lack in FDI Causes Modest Economic Growth

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is cautiously optimistic about economic growth in CESEE.

January 14, 2014

Austria: VBAG Not to Receive Further Aids

Ailing banking institute VBAG of the Austrian Volksbanken Group will not be granted further state aids.

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: Hypo Group Looking for New CRO

Deputy CEO and chief risk officer of Hypo Group Wolfgang Edelmüller will resign as of the end of February.

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

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

VBAG: Complete Write-Off Possible

The Austrian state may has to write down its interest completely. Further capital injections are very likely. Also VBAG´s other shareholders will be obliged to provide fresh funds for the ailing bank.

January 4, 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

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

Hypo Group: „The Wrong Decisions were Made“

Johannes Ditz, former chairman of the Austrian nationalized Hypo Group Alpe Adria, thinks that the Austrian government could have avoided a massive burden for the taxpayers.

December 28, 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

UniCredit Sells Bad Assets to Cerberus

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

December 27, 2013

Slovenia: Fresh Money for Major Banks

Bonds of BAMC (Bank Asset Management Company), Slovenia’s bad bank, will be traded on Friday for the first time. The bonds will be forwarded to the country’s biggest banks in return for their bad loans.

December 27, 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: VBAG May Require Further State Aid

Partially nationalized VBAG is expected to post losses of more than € 200m.

December 20, 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

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

Austria: Fate of Hypo Group Still Unclear

Only next year the fate of ailing bank Hypo Group Alpe Adria will be determined.

December 16, 2013

Slovenia: Bad Bank to Operate Longer than Expected

According to executive director Mannson, the collecting and selling of non-performing loans would take at least ten to fifteen years.

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

Croatia: Privatization of HPB Fails

The privatization of the Croat Postal Bank (HPB) has failed for the time being. For the potential buyers, HPB is too risky.

December 13, 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

Austria: Nowotny Reiterates Statement

Ewald Nowotny, governor of the Austrian National Bank (OeNB), reiterated his view on Hypo Group.

December 11, 2013

Slovenia: Bank Bailout Plan Is Completed

Tomorrow, December 12, the results of the bank asset review will be published. The next steps have been determined already in advance.

December 11, 2013

Hypo Group Alpe Adria: Liebscher Against Haircut

Klaus Liebscher, chairman of Hypo Group’s supervisory board, is strictly against a debt cut at the nationalized bank. He expects a decision about a bad bank only in the first quarter next year.

December 10, 2013

Slovenia Still Wants to Solve Problems on Its Own

According to head of Eurogroup Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the highly indebted country intends to get a grip on the problems of its banking sector.

December 10, 2013

NKBM´s CEO Demonstrates Optimism

In an interview with the Slovenian STA, Ales Hauc stressed that the second-largest Slovenian lender has a positive future.

December 10, 2013

Bulgaria: Prime Minister Stresses Positive Development

Plamen Oresharski stressed that Bulgaria has performed better than expected in 2013.

December 10, 2013

OTP Interested in MKB

Sandor Csanyi, CEO of the largest Hungrian lender OTP, considers taking over the rival MKB.

December 9, 2013

Austrian Banking Sector: € 35bn NPL

Due to the gloomy economic situation in CESEE and the stagnating domestic economy, Austrian banks suffer from growing non-performing loans.

December 9, 2013

Major Changes in Hungarian Banking Industry Ahead

The Hungarian government comes closer to its objective. Foreign banks are leaving the country step by step.

December 7, 2013

Bratusek: Slovenia Will Manage Bank Rescue

According to Prime Minister Bratusek, Slovenia will manage the bank rescue on its own.

December 3, 2013

Bank Austria: Sales Proceeds for Kazakh Affiliate Dropped

Sales proceeds of Bank Austria’s Kazakh affiliate ATF Bank only came at € 294m which is significantly less than announced by the bank in the first half year.

December 2, 2013

Bosnia: NPLs Increasing Dramatically

Almost 15 percent of the total volume of loans in Bosnia are bad.

December 2, 2013

Hungary: Economic Acceleration Takes Form

According to French BNP, the Hungarian economy starts to grow again. Nevertheless, the banking industry does not face better times yet.

November 29, 2013

Bulgaria: More than Half of Citizens Would Not Take Out Bank Loan

According to a survey, almost 60 percent of Bulgarians would not take out a bank loan regardless of the terms.

November 27, 2013

CESEE: Austrian Banks Face New Challenges

For Austrian banks, the assessment by the ECB may bring new difficulties. Non-performing loans in CESEE are said to be higher than officially known.

November 26, 2013

Hungary. Forex Loans Probed by Supreme Court

Due to the upcoming elections in 2014, Hungary´s government puts pressure on the Supreme Court.

November 25, 2013

Austria: Decent Economic Outlook

Despite an economic acceleration, the macro-economic frame conditions remain difficult in 2014. A major risk factor is the fiscal situation.

November 24, 2013

Romania Faces Upgrade

Next year, Romanian sovereign bonds may be upgraded by Standard & Poor´s.

November 23, 2013

Slovenia: Economic Growth Expected to Speed up Next Year

Economic growth is expected to accelerate next year.

November 22, 2013
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