Press Release: State aid: Commission approves resolution aid for Portuguese Banco Espírito Santo

Author (Corporate)
Series Title
Series Details IP/14/901 (04.08.14)
Publication Date 04/08/2014
Content Type

The European Commission announced on the 4 August 2014 that it had found the resolution plan of the Portuguese Banco Espírito Santo S.A. (BES), including the creation of a Bridge Bank, to be in line with EU State aid rules.

The measures notified by Portuguese authorities would allow the orderly resolution of the remaining bad bank and provide the bridge bank with the necessary means to maximise the value of its assets in the sale process, while limiting the distortions of competition created by the State aid granted.

On the same day the Portuguese government announced it would spend €4.9bn to rescue Portuguese Banco Espírito Santo (BES), Portugal's largest listed bank.

On the 30 July 2014 BES had announced losses of €3.6bn for the first six months of 2014, significantly above the foreseeable values in the light of information disclosed until then by the bank.

Euro|Topics presenting summaries of articles in European newspapers on the development wrote that Portugal was bailing out the failing Banco Espírito Santo to the tune of €4.9bn. The money would come from a bank capitalisation fund boosted with money left over from the country's bailout programme. Lisbon was wrongly claiming that taxpayers would be spared, commentators criticise, and said the near bankruptcy of the bank was proof that the crisis continued in Europe's southern states.

Source Link Link to Main Source http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-901_en.htm
Related Links
ESO: Background information: Global stock markets hit by Portuguese bank concerns http://www.europeansources.info/record/global-stock-markets-hit-by-portuguese-bank-concerns/
European Commission: DG Competition: Competition policy and economic recovery: Tackling the financial crisis: State aid http://ec.europa.eu/competition/recovery/financial_sector.html
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-126_en.htm http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-126_en.htm
European Commission: DG Competition: The effects of temporary State aid rules adopted in the context of the financial and economic crisis. Commission Staff Working Paper, October 2011 http://ec.europa.eu/competition/publications/reports/working_paper_en.pdf
EurActiv, 04.08.14: Portugal rescues third largest bank, testing euro zone resilience http://www.euractiv.com/sections/euro-finance/portugal-rescues-third-largest-bank-testing-euro-zone-resilience-307757
BBC News, 04.08.14: Portugal unveils bank rescue plan http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28633876
Euronews, 04.08.14: Portugal splits up its largest and oldest bank in emergency rescue plan http://www.euronews.com/2014/08/04/portugal-splits-up-its-oldest-bank-in-emergency-rescue-plan
Banco de Portugal: Press Release, 03.08.14: Press Release of Banco de Portugal on the application of a resolution measure to Banco Espírito Santo, S.A. http://www.bportugal.pt/en-US/OBancoeoEurosistema/ComunicadoseNotasdeInformacao/Pages/combp20140803.aspx
ESO: Background information: ECB: Note on the Comprehensive Assessment, July 2014 (Stress Tests) http://www.europeansources.info/record/note-on-the-comprehensive-assessment-july-2014/
Jornal de Negócios, 04.08.14: Failing BES: taxpayers spared (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE147942-Failing-BES-taxpayers-spared
Daily Telegraph, 04.08.14: Europe's tough new regime for banks fails first test in Portugal http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/11011920/Europes-tough-new-regime-for-banks-fails-first-test-in-Portugal.html
Euro|Topics, 05.08.14: Billions for Portuguese bank bailout http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/archiv_dossier/DOSSIER148070-Billions-for-Portuguese-bank-bailout
Diário Económico, 08.08.14: BES bailout reflects black and white thinking (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/medienindex/media_articles/archiv_article/ARTICLE148316-BES-bailout-reflects-black-and-white-thinking
Jornal de Negócios, 17.09.14: Novo Banco shouldn't be sold in a hurry (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE150534-Novo-Banco-shouldn-t-be-sold-in-a-hurry
BBC News, 14.09.14: Novo Banco names new boss after three directors quit http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29200517
Wikipedia: Novo Banco http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novo_Banco
Euronews, 28.11.14: Portuguese police conduct mass search in Espirito Santo case http://www.euronews.com/2014/11/28/portuguese-police-conduct-mass-search-in-espirito-santo-case/

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