The fear mongering by Christine Lagarde on the urgent need for recapitalization of banks in Europe are not convinced. Neither the EU nor the analysts or investors. Christine Lagarde is in the race to succeed DSK to head the IMF.
The European Union Monday defended the strength of European banks after the words of the IMF chief Christine Lagarde has called for their "urgent recapitalization" in order to restore market confidence and facilitate access to liquidity. Fearmongering that have not really worried the markets.In Paris, for example, the title Natixis gained 3.72% while Societe Generale and Credit Agricole have completed on increases of 3.61% and 3.37%.
"European banks are better capitalized than a year ago," said the Commissioner of Economic Affairs Olli Rehn, during a hearing before the European Parliament, referring to the results of stress tests published in the European banking sector during the summer. The results of these tests conducted in Europe over 90 banks were made public last July. Institutions that have failed to make decisions to recapitalize within six to nine months, through mergers or asset sales in particular, he said. If this does not work, solutions that require public sector intervention to bail them out would then be considered.
Returning to the turbulence of recent weeks, Mr.Rehn, however, admitted that European banks have faced difficulties recently to finance itself. "We hope that their financing conditions will improve. The banks also have access to liquidity set aside by central banks," he added.
Executive Director of the IMF said "urgent" Saturday to recapitalize European banks so that they are "strong enough to face the risks of public debt and weak growth." "It is essential to stop the contagion," she said, considering that "the most efficient would be a substantial recapitalization required" with private funds and public funds "if necessary".
Asked earlier on the subject, the spokesman for Mr.Rehn, Amadeu Altafaj, stated to see no need to go beyond what is already expected to strengthen bank capital, or make "something extra". "The discussions between the IMF and the EU have already taken place. The IMF knows the results and developments to come," he said.
For their part, several large French banks did not hide their surprise after remarks that do not differentiate between European institutions. "French banks are among the strongest in Europe," we fell on condition of anonymity in one of them, referring to the good report of resistance testing.
French Banking Federation (FBF) declined to comment, referring to a statement of 19 August in which it stressed that the capital levels of French banks were "well above regulatory requirements."The CEO of Crédit Agricole SA Jean-Paul Chifflet on Thursday had dismissed any need for capital increase. He also reassured liquidity: its annual plan is "completed at about 90%," with available reserves of over 120 billion.
Lack of precision?
The words of the boss of the IMF were also found to be inaccurate by some analysts. For Pierre Flabbée, an analyst at Kepler CM, "it seems that the idea of Christine Lagarde whether to restore the normal functioning of the interbank market and banks' access to liquidity, the recapitalization is a necessary step.""Bring the capital would be used to restore market confidence," he noted, saying that the banks involved and the amounts necessary "should be clarified" by Ms. Lagarde.
A second analyst, regretted, on condition of anonymity, the "wrong" timing and lack of detail by Christine Lagarde, while the sector is slowly recovering from false rumors that have recently plunged. Especially that "there is no problem of liquidity in the euro area, and if there was one, the ECB is ready to intervene," he noted.
Several institutions have also noticed that they have strengthened their capital base in preparation for the coming into force from 2013 rules so-called "Basel III" in the G20 countries.According to these regulations, banks must hold capital "hard" accounting for 7% of the loans they give to their clients, against 2% currently.
"I do not think the risk is specific to European banks," said Jean Peyrelevade, chairman of Banca Leonardo France and former head of Credit Lyonnais, Business on BFM. As the problem of indebtedness of the States "is not resolved, there is doubt about the strength of the euro area itself and therefore the banks of the euro zone."