EU regulators have given the green light on funding of Eur 37 bln for Spain’s banks.
In exchange, four nationalized banks agreed to make sharp cuts in their balance sheets and payrolls—a retrenchment that carries the risk of intensifying Spain’s credit crunch in the midst of a deep recession.
Bankia SA, the largest of the bailed-out lenders, said it would cut its staff numbers by more than 6,000, close more than 1,000 branches, halt real-estate lending, and shed €50 billion of assets as it refocuses on retail banking.
EU’s Almunia said the cuts will make sure that the banks use “no more than what is necessary of taxpayers’ money to restructure and do not go back to unsustainable business practices.” adding that by 2017 the banks should see their balance sheets reduced by more than 60% from the peaks in 2010. The required cuts also aim to prevent banks that receive state aid from using it to gain an unfair advantage in the marketplace.
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