World News Insights
1-3 Minute Gist

All Topics Article

The Real Threat Facing Spanish Lenders

BusinessWeek Original article ›

Keywords:

LyrArc Article Gist
MaC Group, a risk advisor to Spanish banks, says Spanish banks hold about 30 billion pounds of distressed real estate and unsellable land. Prices are down 28% from the peak in 2007, according to a report by the IESE Business School, and are expected to fall a further 15-20 percent in the next 2-3 years by some experts. Much of the bank owned land is far from city centers and there is no demand for this. One Madrid based consultant R.R. de Acuna Asociados, says 43% of bank owned land is poorly located and there may be no demand for unfinished residential units for decades. The new government of Mariano Rajoy plans to take action to cleanup the banking system. Louis de Guindos, director of PricewaterhouseCoopers and IE Business School Center of Finance is expected to become the new finance minister. Guindos says strict rules need to be implemented, with some banks able to handle this and others that won't. MaC Group's Cantos, a managing partner, says the gap is huge between prices offered by banks and what investors will pay- as much as 70%. Prime assets can be sold for 30% discount but the land, residential and commercial real estate will require discounts of 70%. Banks have made provisions for losses of 30%, and are now facing the prospect of another 40% in losses. As a result many of the medium and small sized banks which operate only inside Spain may have to be shut down or consolidated by the government of Mariano Rajoy. Only the larger banks like Banco Santander, Banco Bilbao, La Caxia, and Bankia are likely to surivive.

Britain, Sweden, Spain and Basel III capital reserve requirements for banks

01/21/2010

Britain, Sweden and Spain oppose the dilution of capital reserve requirements for European banks through a broad definition of what constitutes Tier 1 capital. Germany, France and some other European countries favor a loose definition of Tier 1 capital. The systemic risks of lower reserve requirements and loose definitions of Tier 1 capital in a global banking crisis and the danger to taxpayers.

Grouped Articles

Spanish Banks More Vulnerable Than Italy's

Wall Street Journal 07/13/2011

The Battle Over Bank Rules at Basel III

BusinessWeek 05/27/2010

Swiss Politicians Push for Stricter Bank Capital Rules

Wall Street Journal 11/04/2013

Banks Get New Restraints

Wall Street Journal 09/13/2010

Basel Rules Unlikely to Force Capital Raising

Wall Street Journal 09/14/2010

No Quick Dividend From Basel

Wall Street Journal 09/14/2010

Spain's Bankia bank

10/02/2010

The consolidation of a number of Spanish savings banks under government direction led to the creation of Bankia, Spain's third largest bank. Efforts to recapitalize these banks which have large accumulated large debt from the real estate boom is part of the Spanish government's effort to tackle the debt crisis facing Spain. Rodrigo Rato, a former finance minister and managing director of the IMF, heads Bankia and the effort to restore confidence in Spain's banking system.

Grouped Articles

Spanish Banks More Vulnerable Than Italy's

Wall Street Journal 07/13/2011

Investors in Bankia to Sue Bank of Spain Over Losses

New York Times 05/09/2013

Spain's banks: Two cheers, three tiers

Economist 10/02/2010

Spain's Bankia Returns to Profit

Wall Street Journal 02/04/2014

Spain Launches Privatization of Bankia

Wall Street Journal 02/28/2014

A Former IMF Leader Tackles IPO Challenge

Wall Street Journal 06/08/2011

Spain's Cajas savings banks

02/25/2010

Grouped Articles

Spanish Banks More Vulnerable Than Italy's

Wall Street Journal 07/13/2011

Spanish Banker Goes to Prison

New York Times 05/17/2013

The Pain in Spain Falls Mainly on the Cajas

BusinessWeek 02/25/2010

Spain's cajas: Unholy mess

Economist 05/29/2010

Spain's cajas: Thinking outside the box

Economist 07/31/2010

Spain's banks: Two cheers, three tiers

Economist 10/02/2010

Spain's troubled banks- Caja de Ahorros del Mediterraneo

03/11/2011

Grouped Articles

Spain Faces Short Buyers List For Troubled Caja

Wall Street Journal 09/07/2011

The Spanish Reform Model

Wall Street Journal 09/28/2011

Criticism of Spain’s Central Bank Grows

New York Times 10/20/2011

Spain Weighing a Fast, Costly Cleanup of Banks

Wall Street Journal 12/07/2011

The Real Threat Facing Spanish Lenders

BusinessWeek 11/23/2011

Spain’s banks: Horns of a dilemma

Economist 01/07/2012

The ECB's Long Term Financing Operation Dec. 2011- March 2012

11/10/2011

The ECB's newly created Long Term Financing Operation enables European banks to meet their financing needs by borrowing from the European Central Bank at low rates of 1% for three years. Mid size banks in Spain buy government bonds of Spain and use the bonds as collateral at the ECB to access this lowcost funding. This has helped bring down rates at a recent auction of Spain's bonds from 5.1% to 1.7%. Italian banks also participated in the same way. 523 European banks borrowed 489 billion euros on Dec. 21, 2011, under this newly created financing operation of the ECB. This provides European banks financing as they are shutoff from normal financing by selling unsecured bonds to private and institutional lenders. This helps banks in the eurozone meet financial needs in 2012 without reducing lending to businesses and consumers.

Grouped Articles

German Court to Weigh Bond Buying by E.C.B.

New York Times 06/10/2013

E.C.B. Plots Strategy for Staving Off Deflation

New York Times 05/26/2014

Euro-Zone Banks Tap Big ECB Loans

Wall Street Journal 12/21/2011

Staring Into the ECB's Mini Bazooka

Wall Street Journal 12/21/2011

A Central Bank Doing What Central Banks Do

New York Times 12/21/2011

European Banks Rush to Grasp Lifeline

Wall Street Journal 12/22/2011

Why government fiscal discipline alone will not establish a sound financial framework for the Euro currency- the example of Spain

03/03/2010

Spain kept its deficits below the 3% mandated under EU treaties, till recently. Asset bubbles sustained because of bad lending by a country's banks and easy acess to credit from outside the country, are two problems not addressed by tighter budget controls in the revised rules being set after the Dec. 9 EU Summit. Spain's debt problem is to recapitalize these failing banks and debt of regional governments. Spain relied too much on a construction boom for growth, with productivity stalled. Ireland improved competitiveness and attracted foreign investment. This too unraveled in the face of an asset bubble from speculative lending by its banks.

Grouped Articles

Euro Zone Death Trip

New York Times 09/25/2011

Europe's Original Sin

Wall Street Journal 03/03/2010

German Optimism Depends On Spanish Deficits

Wall Street Journal 09/25/2013

Euro Zone Deficit Hits Target for First Time Since 2008

New York Times 04/23/2014

Spain's Example Shows Limits of EU Targets

Wall Street Journal 12/09/2011

The Euro Zone's Double Failure

Wall Street Journal 12/15/2011

Banco Santander performance

03/24/2011

Grouped Articles

Convicted CEO Quits Bank

Wall Street Journal 05/12/2013

Botín's Legacy at Santander Is a Bank That Works Without Him

Wall Street Journal 09/11/2014

Ana Patricia Botín to Take Over Banco Santander

Wall Street Journal 09/11/2014

Emilio Botin Who Built Up Santander Bank Dies at 79

New York Times 09/10/2014

Banco Santander Profit Jumps 52% Amid Recovery in Spain

New York Times 11/04/2014

Santander’s New Guard Should Break With Dividend Tradition

Wall Street Journal 11/26/2014

Banco Santander sale of assets to raise capital 2011-2012

11/23/2011

Grouped Articles

Santander Raises $8.88 Billion in Capital

Wall Street Journal 01/09/2015

Santander Plans $8.9 Billion Capital Increase to Strengthen Balance Sheet

New York Times 01/08/2015

Santander's Capital Move

Wall Street Journal 11/23/2011

Santander Sells a Chilean Stake in Effort to Boost Capital

Wall Street Journal 12/08/2011

The Real Threat Facing Spanish Lenders

BusinessWeek 11/23/2011

Spanish Banks Find New Source of Capital Comes With New Kind of Risk

Wall Street Journal 04/03/2012

Banco Santander UK

07/28/2011

Grouped Articles

Ana Patricia Botín to Take Over Banco Santander

Wall Street Journal 09/11/2014

Santander Names Nathan Bostock as New CEO of U.K. Arm

Wall Street Journal 09/29/2014

Santander Raises $8.88 Billion in Capital

Wall Street Journal 01/09/2015

Trouble in U.K. Squeezes Santander

Wall Street Journal 07/28/2011

The Real Threat Facing Spanish Lenders

BusinessWeek 11/23/2011

Santander Prepares Record Mexico IPO

Wall Street Journal 04/24/2012

La Caixa

11/23/2011

Grouped Articles

The Real Threat Facing Spanish Lenders

BusinessWeek 11/23/2011

Spain and default on residential mortgages

02/25/2010

The housing market and banks in Spain, and the extensive system of mortgage modification in place to mitigate housing losses.

Grouped Articles

The Pain in Spain Falls Mainly on the Cajas

BusinessWeek 02/25/2010

Spain's Banks Boost Books by Refinancing Loans to Homeowners

Wall Street Journal 11/07/2013

Leading the Charge Against Spain’s Mortgage Crisis

New York Times 12/20/2013

Spain Still Suffering Fallout From Housing Bust

Wall Street Journal 05/28/2014

Tumbling Interest Rates in Europe Leaves Some Banks Owing Money on Loans to Borrowers

Wall Street Journal 04/14/2015

Spain Mortgages Stir Concern

Wall Street Journal 12/17/2010

Spain's economy 2010-2013

07/22/2010

Grouped Articles

Still Sputtering, Spain Turns Away From Cuts

Wall Street Journal 05/12/2013

Spain: Budget Woes Hit Regional Governments

BusinessWeek 07/22/2010

Spanish Job Market May Be Turning Around

Wall Street Journal 01/24/2014

Italy's Borrowing Costs Jump

New York Times 07/28/2011

Italy Seeks to Tackle Youth Jobless Problem

Wall Street Journal 08/22/2011

The Spanish Reform Model

Wall Street Journal 09/28/2011

The debt of regional governments in Spain.

07/22/2010

With $200 billion in debt, local governments from Catalonia to Valencia, are facing more spending cuts in 2010. The local governments are looking at raising $57 billion in debt markets in 2010, the highest of any local governments in Europe except Germany.

Grouped Articles

Rajoy Appeals to Catalonia to Stick With Spain

Wall Street Journal 09/23/2013

Spanish Towns Struggle Under Crushing Debts

Wall Street Journal 10/04/2010

Spain: Budget Woes Hit Regional Governments

BusinessWeek 07/22/2010

European Union Plans System for National Debt Crises

New York Times 10/29/2010

The euro crisis: Spreading from Ireland to Iberia

Economist 11/27/2010

Spain to Open Books in Bid to Calm Investors

Wall Street Journal 12/18/2010


Support LyrArc

We took a different way to help millions around the world build educated informed mindsets that affects and shapes their lives. For a future that is open, global and digital, with everyone having access to high quality information. We believe in the renewal of America, renewal of Europe, the renewal of India, the rest of Asia, Latin America and Africa. The renewal of our supply chains, health, education, infrastructure, as we rebuild our countries after the pandemic. Literacy and knowledge we believe cannot thrive and grow in a world of web bots, web crawlers, or AI. This requires human curiosity, human learning, and human imagination. We take as inspiration the saying- “One has to be free, and as broad as sky. One has to have a mind that is crystal clear, only then can truth shine in it.” Every contribution whether big or small is precious- in this crisis and ahead.

Support Lyrarc from as small as $1


Copyright © 2006 - 2026 Intelilinks LLC
Terms and Conditions | Copyright Policy | Privacy Policy | Contact Us