National Bank of Greece

Greece's second largest lender National Bank (NBG) widened its loss in the fourth quarter after booking higher provisions for impaired loans.

NBG, 40 percent owned by the country's bank rescue fund HFSF, on Wednesday reported a net loss from continued operations of 60 million euros versus a net loss of 44 million euros in the third quarter.

Greece's National Bank (NBG) said on Monday it is considering other options on its Romanian subsidiary Banca Romaneasca after Romania's central bank rejected a deal to sell the unit to Hungary's OTP Bank .

NBG had agreed in July last year to sell 99.28 percent of Banca Romaneasca to OTP Bank Romania, a unit of OTP Bank, as part of an EU-approved restructuring plan.

Romanian lender Banca Transilvania said on Friday it has received regulatory approval from the country's competition watchdog and the central bank to buy Greek Eurobank's Romanian subsidiary Bancpost.

"Banca Transilvania estimates that the closing of the transaction regarding the acquisition of Bancpost will take place during the first half of April 2018," it said in a statement.

Romania's central bank said on Thursday it had rejected Hungary's OTP Bank's acquisition of Banca Romaneasca, despite the competition watchdog clearing the purchase late last year.

OTP signed a deal in July with National Bank of Greece to purchase Banca Romaneasca.

But the sale, which had been expected to close later this year, needed regulatory approval by the central bank.

Unidentified vandals on Thursday vandalized the glass frontsand ATMs of two bank branches in central Athens using sledgehammers.

According to witnesses, a group of around 10 hooded assailants vandalized the windows of the branches of Piraeus Bank and National Bank of Greece on Halkokondyli Street.

Greece's Eurobank is looking to increase its market share in Serbia and would consider an acquisition if an opportunity arises, its chief executive told Reuters on the sidelines of a business forum.

Eurobank, the only Greek bank operating in Serbia, is the EU candidate country's seventh-largest bank with a 4.5 percent share of the market.

The deal between National Bank of Greece and Exin Financial Services Holdings BV for the latter's acquisition of Ethniki Insurance appears to be hanging in the balance.

The investment vehicle formed by Exin Financial Services Holdings and Calamos Family Partners has ceased to exist.

Preferred bidder Exin has asked for another deadline extension, until February 21, in order to consolidate the stakeholder lineup that will finance the acquisition of 75 percent of Ethniki Insurance.

The National Bank of Greece will officially launch the process for the sale of bad loans with a total value of 5.2 billion euros on February 5.

This is the first portfolio the bank is putting up for sale, following the example set by Eurobank and Alpha.

National Bank of Greece has brought its dependence on the central bank's emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) mechanism down to zero.

This satisfies the pledge NBG's management had made for disengagement from the expensive system of cash supply by the end of 2017.