Anche SNS dichiara che la propria parte bancaria non ha bisogno di intervenire sul capitale. Certo che questa storia dei nuovi minimi di capitale così facilmente soddisfatti da quasi tutti...
AMSTERDAM -(Dow Jones)- Dutch bancassurer SNS Reaal NV (SR.AE) late Wednesday said its banking unit won't face a capital shortfall, as it sought to quash concerns that it would be the only lender in the Netherlands failing to meet tougher European capital rules.
European leaders early Thursday hammered out a deal to bolster the capital of the region's biggest banks, as part of a package to contain the debt crisis in the euro-zone.
Under the agreement, lenders in Europe will face stricter capital rules, meaning they will need to have a core Tier-1 capital ratio of 9% by the end of June 2012. They also need a buffer reflecting market prices of all sovereign debt exposures as of end September 2011 in the European economic area.
The European Banking Authority said the four major Dutch banks--ING Group NV (INGA.AE), Rabobank Group, ABN Amro Bank NV and SNS Reaal--already comply with the tougher rules and that they won't need extra capital.
There had been some concern that SNS Reaal may need recapitalization because its Core Tier-1 capital ratio was 8.4% at the end of the second quarter. The firm is also struggling with a loss-making real-estate financing unit.
However, in a statement late Wednesday, SNS Reaal said that its banking unit complies with the 9% threshold and that it will continue to focus on bolstering its capital position.
The other major Dutch banks weren't immediately available for comment.
After being hit hard during the credit crunch in 2008, the Netherlands' major lenders have shored up their balance sheets by selling off assets and reducing their exposure to risky investments. Compared to their peers in other euro-zone countries like France, they have little exposure to government debt of the currency bloc's periphery.