Erste Bank eyes 2011 state aid repayment

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Finance

Erste Bank, one of Austria’s leading financial institutes, has said it planned to pay back the state aid it has received over the past two years in the coming months.The Vienna-based bank, which is active in the whole Central and Eastern which (CEE) region, announced today (Fri) it intended to return the 1.2 billion Euros […]

BCR board ‘irresponsible’, say unionists

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Finance

Hundreds of staff of Erste Bank’s Romanian subsidiary took to the streets in Bucharest today (Fri) to demonstrate against the loss of certain rights in a controversial new labour contract proposal.Banca Comerciala Romana (BCR) unionists – who represent 75 per cent of the bank’s employees – accuse the financial institute’s executive board of having an […]

BA hopes for Burgenland growth

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Finance

Bank Austria (BA) bosses have said they wanted to increase the institute’s focus on private clients in Burgenland.New BA Burgenland chief Andrea Staufer-Waldert said today (Weds) that the bank currently has 52,000 private customers in the eastern province. She added that BA’s 13 branches in Burgenland were serving more than 2,100 small and medium-sized enterprises […]

Eurozone support must not end, many Austrians think

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Finance

Nearly one in two Austrians said their country should continue to participate in financial projects to stabilise ailing Eurozone members even if the European Union (EU) were to demand higher contributions.A study carried out by research firm Karmasin for weekly magazine profil shows that 49 per cent of Austrians think the federal government of Social […]

Oberbank presents bright 2010 figures

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Finance

Oberbank managed to improve its volume of credit and value of customer assets last year, according to preliminary figures.The institute said today (Tues) that its volume of credit improved by 5.7 per cent year on year to 10.4 billion Euros. The bank also said that it was in charge of 20 billion Euros of customer […]

BA chief says Basel III may scare off investors

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Finance

Bank Austria (BA) CEO Willibald Cernko has warned tougher rules and new taxes could make it more difficult for banks to find investors.The former HypoVereinsbank manager said today (Weds): “I think the debate over investors should have an Austrian background or come from abroad is totally misleading. The decisive question will be whether we (the […]

Madoff’s ‘criminal soul mate’ claims to be victim

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Finance

An Austrian businesswoman accused of being Bernard Madoff’s “criminal soul mate” has claimed she was a victim of the banker’s illicit operations herself.Madoff was sentenced to a maximum 150 years in jail by a court in New York City in the United States for what is widely considered to be the largest so-called Ponzi scheme […]

Eurozone troubles pose bigger risk than EE, says Treichl

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Finance

Erste Bank boss Andreas Treichl has revealed he is more concerned about developments in the Eurozone than about developments in Eastern Europe (EE).The banker said today (Fri): “The biggest risk for us, the financial service providers, is the insecurity about the debt rates in the Eurozone and how they can be covered in the coming […]

ÖVAG manages turnaround

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Finance

Volksbank AG (ÖVAG) boss Gerald Wenzel has said his bank has achieved a turnaround after some difficult years.ÖVAG suffered losses of 1.123 billion Euros after taxes last year. Wenzel announced today (Mon) the institute achieved a net turnover of 56.6 million Euros in the first nine months of this year.Wenzel said he expected ÖVAG to […]

Kulterer eyes custody compensation claim

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Finance

Former Hypo Group Alpe Adria (HGAA) chief Wolfgang Kulterer is considering asking for compensation over his three-month custody.The banker’s lawyer Ferdinand Lanker said today (Mon) he may ask for financial compensation for his client since he doubted the righteousness of his custody.Kulterer was arrested and put in custody in Klagenfurt in August before being released […]