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Stress tests ‘too strict’ for Austrian banks

The new stress tests which Europe's banks are being subjected to might be too strict, the head of the Austrian central bank, Ewald Nowotny, warned in a newspaper interview Monday.

Published: 16 June 2014 10:53 CEST
Stress tests 'too strict' for Austrian banks
Ewald Nowotny, head of the Austrian central bank. Photo: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH

"The test will be very strict, perhaps too strict," Nowotny told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

"My fear is that the ECB, keen to do a very good job, will go beyond what has been done in the United States. That could lead to exaggerations," said Nowotny, who sits on the ECB's governing council.

The ECB is scheduled to take over as Europe's banking supervisory authority in November.

Before it does so, it is conducting an audit of banks' balance sheets and, in conjunction with the European Banking Authority (EBA), is it also subjecting the banks to so-called stress tests.

Asked whether he was concerned that one of Austria's banks might fail the test, Nowotny replied: "No. I don't see any wobbly candidates."

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BANK

Deutsche Bank to pay $130m to settle US bribery probes

Deutsche Bank will pay $130 million to settle a foreign bribery probe and fraud charges in precious metals trading, US officials announced on Friday.

Published: 9 January 2021 15:08 CET
Deutsche Bank to pay $130m to settle US bribery probes
A woman walks past the offices of Deutsche Bank in London. Photo: Tolga Akmen / AFP
The bribery case relates to illegal payments and to false reporting of those sums on the bank's books and records between 2009 and 2016, the Department of Justice said in a press release.
   
The bank “knowingly and wilfully” kept false records after employees conspired with a Saudi consultant to facilitate bribe payments of over $1 million to a decision maker, the DOJ said.
   
In another case, the bank paid more than $3 million “without invoices” to an Abu Dhabi consultant “who lacked qualifications… other than his family relationship with the client decision maker,” the DOJ said.
   
In addition to criminal fines and payments of ill-gotten gains, Deutsche Bank agreed to cooperate with government investigators under a three-year deferred prosecution agreement.
 
   
In the commodities fraud case, Deutsche Bank metals traders in New York, Singapore and London between 2008 and 2013 placed fake trade orders to profit by deceiving other market participants, the DOJ said.
   
The agreement took into account Deutsche Bank's cooperation with the probes, DOJ said.
   
“Deutsche Bank engaged in a criminal scheme to conceal payments to so-called consultants worldwide who served as conduits for bribes to foreign officials and others so that they could unfairly obtain and retain lucrative business projects,” said Acting US Attorney Seth D. DuCharme of the Eastern District of New York.
   
“This office will continue to hold responsible financial institutions that operate in the United States and engage in practices to facilitate criminal activity in order to increase their bottom line.”
   
“We take responsibility for these past actions, which took place between 2008 and 2017,” said Deutsche Bank spokesperson Dan Hunter, adding that the company has taken “significant remedial actions” including hiring staff and upgrading technology to address the shortcomings.
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