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  • Spain Gets Real

    Bank Of Spain Tells Lenders To Take 30% Loss Provisions On Foreclosed Real Estate Held For Over Two Years


    Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/26/2010 14:20 -0500


    Here comes the latest destabilizing Central Bank "intervention" in Europe. The Bank of Spain, doing what Fed and the Treasury should have done with domestic toxic loans backing worthless real estate, has notified lenders that they should be prepared to set aside much greater loss reserves against assets, "such as real estate, acquired in exchange for bad debts once the holdings have been on their books for more than two years." The staggered loss provision schedule will call for a 10% loss assumption for real estate acquired in foreclosures, 20% for real estate held for more than a year, and 30% for anything held for more than 2 years. Bloomberg reports that Spanish lenders have foreclosed upon property worth nearly €60 billion, which means that very soon Spanish banks, which as we pointed out earlier are already suffering a liquidity crunch as a result of loss of access to Commercial Paper, will have to take an incremental up to €18 billion in asset write-downs, a development which will have a major adverse impact on Spain's banking sector once it funnels through the banking system, and especially once the need for liquidity spikes yet none is found.

    From Bloomberg:
    The Bank of Spain plans to make lenders set aside more reserves against assets, such as real estate, acquired in exchange for bad debts once the holdings have been on their books for more than two years.

    Banks that received property, for instance, from developers unable to pay back their loans, would have to make provisions to take account of a drop in value of at least 30 percent if they keep the assets for more than two years, the regulator said in a statement sent by e-mail.

    The regulator is taking steps to force banks to recognize the declining value of real estate after lenders acquired property worth almost 60 billion euros ($73.3 billion) through foreclosures, debt-for-asset swaps or purchases. Banks must immediately provision for a 10 percent drop in value of the assets when they’re acquired and 20 percent after 12 months.

    The regulator also wants to impose a new calendar ensuring banks fully provision for bad loans after 12 months, rather than as long as 72 months previously.

    At the same time, the Bank of Spain said it would take steps to recognize the value of real-estate guarantees while adjusting their value according to their level of risk. For example, a loan guarantee consisting of a finished home that’s the normal residence of the borrower would carry a 20 percent cut in value, while plots of land would carry a 50 percent reduction.

    The proposals will undergo a period of consultation before taking effect. The Bank of Spain said a study of the impact of the change on a sample of banks estimated a 2 percent increase in provisions for 2010, implying a 10 percent average drop in pre-tax profit from the lenders’ domestic business.


    http://www.zerohedge.com/article/ban...over-two-years


  • #2
    Re: Spain Gets Real

    Don, if your a fan of Bank failure Friday you can see that the banks taken down by the FDIC have the same problem. Once the books see the full light of disclosure you invariably see Assets marked down 30%+. That would put the many of the US majors under water or at best treading water while holding onto bricks. It is my belief is that the FED should 'redo' a health check and perhaps ask that the reserve limits be raised to reflect current asset values. This would have the same effect of removing money from circulation with less pain as would the very hurtful practice of Raising interest rates which steals money from consumers when they can least afford it.
    I have no doubt that one day the US may be forced to "get real" (after they have tried everything else that is).
    Yes its the debt that refuses to go away that cripples most

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