Spain wants to protect its banking sector
Wednesday after the nationalization of the first network of savings banks Bankia, the Spanish government on Friday introduced a new banking reform, the second in less than three months. Madrid requires banks an additional provision of $ 30 billion. This will add to the 53 billion that should already be provisioned by the end of the year to cover the risk of real estate the most problematic, representing € 184 billion globally, according to Bank of Spain.
This caution will also be extended to 123 billion of property assets considered non-problematic "for their hypothetical deterioration" in the words of Minister of Economy, Luis de Guindos. In total, Spanish banks will be funded 45% of their total real estate assets by the end of the year. Before the first government reform Rajoy, the rate was only 14%, the minister recalled. Other decision, banks will separate the real estate assets from their balance sheets and place them in specialized agencies, to better assess the right price. "It will be mandatory for all entities," the minister said. In the interests of transparency, and meet there at a request of the Eurogroup, Madrid will carry out audits of accounts. "Two independent evaluators" will be responsible for judging the soundness and credibility of assessments.
Recession in 2013
The question is how banks can finance such levels of provision and how much will be deducted from their own funds bad credit pay day loans. Guindos recalled that during the last injection of public money made by the previous government, the fund Frob had lent 15 billion euros to banks. "The total should be this time significantly lower," he thought, noting that the state would receive an interest rate of 10% on money lent. "The Frob keeps 5 billion in cash. We will see how it will be necessary to supplement, "said Guindos. The Minister further stated that this funding through convertible bonds to five years, would cost "nothing" to the taxpayer.
The exercise of clarity has not convinced the markets: the Madrid Stock Exchange immediately plunged 3%, carried away by banks. The chief minister, Mariano Rajoy, nice hammer that the deficit will not be affected, the target of 5.3% of GDP this year, against 8.5% in December, and above 3% target in 2013 , is very hypothetical. The European Commission, which today released its new forecasts for the euro area, anticipates a deficit of 6.3% of GDP in 2012, even worse, 6.4% in 2013. In less than three months, Brussels has revised up sharply the recession, to 1.8% of GDP, against 1% previously. Next year, the economy would be even the only Iberian euro area to be in red.
ALSO READ:
"Europe has the means to save Spanish banks
"Spain is mobilized to clean up its financial sector
"Madrid ready to bail out its banks