S&P sees tough 2013 for CEE banks
Central and Eastern European banks face a difficult year, with those in Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Croatia among the weakest, according to a sector report published by credit-rating agency Standard and Poor’s on Monday. “The region’s banks will likely continue to suffer from high levels of bad loans and credit losses, weak credit demands and compressed margins,” S&P wrote in its report Central and Eastern European Banking Outlook 2013: Another Tough Year in a Weak Economic Climate.
Banks across the region show a wide credit quality disparity, with the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia expected to be able to maintain sound creditworthiness in 2013 but Slovenia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Croatia suffering from a weaker position, S&P credit analyst Pierre Gautier said.
