Bank

Anyone legally residing in the EU would have the right to open a basic payment account, under a new law passed by European Parliament on Tuesday.

By Yiannis Papadoyiannis

National Bank of Greece has almost finished drafting its definitive plan to cover the lender’s capital requirements as determined by its Bank of Greece stress test, and a share capital increase may be on the cards after all.

By Christos Ziotis & Nikos Chrysoloras

International investors have started placing money into Greek banks as they anticipate the improving economy will boost profits across the industry, Michalis Sallas, chairman of Piraeus Bank SA, said.

By Yiannis Papadoyiannis

After Alpha, Piraeus and Eurobank, National Bank of Greece is also preparing to cover its additional capital requirements, as determined by the Bank of Greece (BoG) stress test. However National is not in favor of a share increase, opting instead for the sale of assets and subsidiaries.

Euro-area banks face tougher scrutiny of how they measure the risk of losses on their assets, the European Union’s financial-services chief said.

By Nikos Roussanoglou

Greek bank deposits dropped in February for a second month in a row and private sector lending continued to shrink, central bank data showed on Thursday, with no sign of the credit expansion needed to spur economic recovery this year.

By Nikos Chrysoloras & Eleni Chrepa

Alpha Bank SA and Piraeus Bank SA (TPEIR) raised 2.95 billion euros ($4.07 billion) in new capital from foreign investors in the latest sign Greek lenders are bouncing back from the world’s biggest sovereign debt crisis that pushed them into isolation from international money markets.

By Vassilis Ziras and Yiannis Papadoyiannis

Brussels has issued strict guidelines to Athens regarding the coverage of Eurobank’s capital needs, given that the country’s other systemic banks will cover their requirements from the private sector.

 Credit sector requirements will depend on economic growth, the course of bad loans and their management

By Dimitris Kontogiannis