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Swiss parliament to probe Credit Suisse takeover

Switzerland's parliament will probe the government-orchestrated takeover of the stricken Credit Suisse bank by larger rival UBS, in an extremely rare move, following a vote on Thursday.

A signs of Swiss bank Credit Suisse is seen in Basel.
A sign of Swiss bank Credit Suisse is seen in Basel. . Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

A parliamentary commission of inquiry will be established to shed light on how the Swiss authorities rapidly stitched together the merger of the wealthy Alpine country’s two biggest banks over a weekend in March.

After the lower house of parliament voted unanimously Wednesday in favour of creating the rare commission of inquiry, the upper chamber, or Council of States, voted 37-5 for it on Thursday.

The commission will examine “the legality, opportunity and effectiveness of the activities” of the Swiss authorities in the takeover. It will report on “gaps observed at the institutional level”.

Like UBS, Credit Suisse was among 30 international banks deemed too big to fail due to their importance in the global banking architecture.

But the collapse of three US regional lenders in March left Credit Suisse looking like the weakest link in the chain and its share price plunged more than 30 percent on March 15.

The Swiss government, the central bank and the financial regulators then stepped in and strongarmed UBS into a $3.25-billion takeover announced on March 19 before the markets reopened the following day.

The government feared Credit Suisse would have quickly defaulted and triggered a global banking crisis that would also have shredded Switzerland‘s valuable reputation for sound banking.

The commission will be composed of 14 lawmakers — seven from each house of parliament — with all the major parties represented. They will be nominated next week. It will have a budget of five million Swiss francs ($5.5 million).

With a broad remit, it will be able to decide the extent of its investigations and could trawl back over several years. There is no time limit but the commission will probably last more than a year.

The government said Friday it would give its “full support” to the commission, deeming it “useful and necessary to examine in detail” the events behind the emergency rescue.

It will be only the fifth parliamentary committee inquiry ever held in Switzerland.

The last was in 1995 and investigated failures surrounding the Federal Pension Fund.

It is the “most powerful” tool at parliament’s disposal, said Le Temps newspaper, with the authority to consult the government’s confidential minutes and question senior officials.

The merger of Credit Suisse into UBS, which should be finalised on June 12, raises serious concerns in Switzerland around jobs, competition and the size of the resulting bank relative to the Swiss economy.

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RENTING

Why there is a push in Switzerland to make buildings higher

Tall residential buildings are not very common in Swiss cities, but efforts to change this are gathering strength.

Why there is a push in Switzerland to make buildings higher

Many of Switzerland’s cities are suffering from a chronic housing shortage, with the demand for accommodation far exceeding the available supply.

Though a number of measures have been proposed — for instance, loosening certain regulations which slow down construction of new buildings, such as noise ordinances — the Swiss Tenants Association has said current plans lack “rapid and effective measures.”

READ ALSO: Why Swiss tenants are unhappy with plan to solve housing shortage

Reaching new heights

Another possible solution currently on the table addresses the scarcity of land for new constructions.

“This is why expansion must absolutely take place at height,” the Liberal-Radical Party (PLR) said in a press release

This means that additional living space should be created on top of current residential buildings.

To that end, “building and zoning regulations in Swiss cities must be adapted so as to systematically integrate the raising of one or two floors into urban plans.” 

“In addition, in all residential areas, the maximum authorised height of existing buildings should be  increased by at least three metres. This should make it possible to add an additional floor or two for housing, where possible,” the party states.

The ‘where possible’ clause would exclude historic buildings that cannot be altered and ones where adding more floors is not feasible for technical reasons.

Building ‘upwards’ not only creates space for more dwellings, but also helps stop urban sprawl and preserves agricultural land, according to  PLR’s MP Simone de Montmollin. 

What might happen next?

The party has started an online petition, which it urges all Swiss citizens who favour this change to sign. 

“Building and zoning standards in Swiss cities must be adapted so that the maximum permitted height for existing buildings in all residential areas is increased by three metres,” its text says. “This should make it possible to add an additional floor for housing, independently of the existing use.”

If and when the petition collects at least 100,000 signatures, the issue would be brought to a ballot box.

No details are available about the number of signatures collected to date.

Historic perspective

While the idea may sound ground-breaking, it is not.

As de Montmollin pointed out, already in the 16th century, houses were raised in Geneva to create accommodation for persecuted Protestants (Huguenots) fleeing France.

Much more recently, such ‘elevations’ have been possible in Geneva thanks to a law passed in 2008.

And in Zurich, the PLR, along with a multi-party coalition, launched a popular initiative for the raising of existing buildings.

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