Greek still keen on HGAA

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Business

A Greek businessman is offering more than one billion Euros for ailing Hypo Group Alpe Adria (HGAA), it has emerged.Gernot Pointner, a spokesman for Vasileios Xeniadis, announced today (Fri) the investor was ready to cough up 1.35 billion Euros “immediately” if the Austrian government met him for talks.HGAA had to be nationalised last year following […]

RZB boss warns of overestimating HGAA scam

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Finance

Raiffeisenzentralbank (RZB) head Walter Rothensteiner has appealed to people not to “overestimate” investigations of the near collapse of Hypo Group Alpe Adria (HGAA).Rothensteiner said today (Thurs) the Austrian financial sector’s reputation would not suffer because of embezzlement and fraud investigations of dozens of politicians and former bankers responsible for the actions of the bank that […]

Austrian woes and warnings over Hungarian bank tax plans

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Finance

Hungary is “playing with fire,” Raiffeisenzentralbank (RZB) boss Walter Rothensteiner has warned as the country plans to go ahead with introducing a bank tax.Hungarian Fidesz National Economy Minister György Matolcsy said after meeting with Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) Economy Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner today (Mon) his party would press on with setting up the controversial tax.The […]

Austrian banks ‘will not flee Greece’

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Finance

The chiefs of Austria’s biggest banks ensured they would not reduce investments in financially struggling Greece.Raiffeisenzentralbank (RZB) boss Walter Rothensteiner said after a meeting with the heads of Austria’s other four major banks and People’s Party (ÖVP) Finance Minister: “We will not speculate against Greece, and we won’t reduce our investments in the country.”Austrian banks […]

Pröll wants banks on board in helping Greece

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Finance

Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) Finance Minister Josef Pröll has said he is planning to get banks on board to help financially struggling Greece.Pröll said yesterday evening (Sun) he would speak with the heads of Austria’s main banks about whether they could imagine getting involved in the international subsidisation plan for the financially struggling European Union […]

Erste’s BCR first bank to drops early repayment loan fee

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Finance

Austrian Erste Group’s subsidiary Banca Comerciala Romana (BCR) announced it has dropped the early repayment fee for newly contracted bank loans if they are without guarantees and with variable interest.It is the first bank on the Romanian market that announces the move after the Romanian government earlier this week said it would impose a European […]

Volksbank boss rules out nationalisation over 2009 losses

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Finance

Volksbank bosses have denied reports the bank faces nationalisation as losses soared dramatically last year.Volksbank AG (ÖVAG) chief Gerald Wenzel said the search for a strategic partner was ongoing in the bank’s bid to pay back the millions of state aid it received over the past few months to get through the economic crisis.Wenzel refused […]

Austrian banks’ 2009 balances saved by CEE business

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Business

Austrian banks benefited from their investments in Central and Eastern Europe last year, it was claimed today (Thurs).Andreas Ittner, director of the Austrian National Bank (OeNB), said that OeNB’s estimate was that the country’s banks had earned 0.9 per cent more year on year in 2009 due to CEE engagements.Ittner said that OeNB’s studies had […]

Insurance branch tax ‘will mainly affect customers’

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Business

Customers would be the most affected party if the government decides to set up a new tax for insurance companies, a top branch representative has warned.Günter Geyer, Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) chairman and head of the federal insurance companies association, said today (Weds): “Eighty per cent of the money managed by insurance companies belongs to […]