Attica Bank

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport's decision to knock contractor Christos Kalogritsas out of contracts related to the Patras-Pyrgos highway is likely to cause yet another delay in the major construction project, as the ministry will have to seek out another contractor.

The main index of the Greek bourse on Thursday reached highs unseen since May 2018, as the momentum among buyers continued unabated at Athinon Avenue.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 850.37 points, adding 0.79 percent to Wednesday's 843.73 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 0.45 percent to end at 2,161.94 points.

Prominent Greek banker Giorgos Michelis, who was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Attica Bank in late March, died on Saturday at the age of 69.

Michelis had many years of banking experience having served as CEO of Bancpost, a subsidiary of Greece's Eurobank in Romania, general manager of Emporiki Bank and executive vice president and chief operating officer at Egnatia Bank.

The Greek bad-loan management market is welcoming international firm StormHarbour, which in cooperation with Italy's Fire SpA has created EuPraxis; this new servicer joins the long list of nonperforming-loan managers that the Bank of Greece has licensed.

Attica Bank's real estate asset management subsidiary Attica Bank Properties is seeking a more active role in the administration of the group's properties, as well as a market share in the property sector in Greece in 2019.

Dozens of banking executives and nine cadres of New Democracy and PASOK are to face criminal charges of breach of faith after financial prosecutors decided to take action against them based on an investigation into the parties' funding between 2005 and 2011.

Another mixed day at the Greek bourse on Thursday saw the majority of stocks head south while most main indexes ended up with gains in a session of increased trading volume thanks to several prearranged transactions.

The Greek Parliament will have to decide whether to lift the parliamentary immunity of Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis as the Supreme Court Prosecutor's Office sent to the legislature the file of the judicial probe of whether the minister surreptitiously recorded and leaked to the press his conversation with Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras.

March started on a high note for local stocks on Friday, ending another week of gains on brisk trading volume, capped by profit-taking in the session's last few hours after prices peaked.

Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras today told Athens lower court prosecutor Haralambos Mastrantonakis that he is convinced that Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis surreptiously recorded their conversation when Polakis called him following reports that the Bank of Greece was probing a 100,000 euro loan that the minister was given by Attica Bank.