SocGen's Greek unit Geniki says 2010 loss widens

ATHENS | Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:58am EST

Feb 15 (Reuters) - Geniki Bank (GHBr.AT), majority-owned by France's Societe Generale (SOGN.PA), said on Tuesday its losses more than tripled last year as Greece's economic woes caused a jump in bad debts.

Key Takeaways From The American Securitization Conference 2011

Structured Finance Research Week: Key Takeaways From The American Securitization Conference 2011 (00:05:38 min)

In this CreditMatters TV segment, Standard & Poor's Howard Esaki, head of Global Structured Finance Research, reviews the major issues discussed at the recent American Securitization conference in Orlando, Fla. Topics include the outlook for ABS and RMBS issuance in 2011, prospects for the U.S. economy, the residential real estate market, and banking.

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North American Engineering And Construction Companies Should Hold Up Well In 2011

North American Engineering And Construction Companies Should Hold Up Well In 2011 (00:08:13 min)

After a taking a number of positive rating actions on many North American engineering and construction companies in 2010, Standard & Poor’s expects the sector’s credit quality to remain stable this year. In this CreditMatters TV segment, Standard & Poor’s Associate Director Robyn Shapiro and Director Dan Picciotto discuss the sector’s resilient performance throughout the recession and why it should perform well in 2011. Other topics include some of the major players and the risks facing the sector.

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Hedge fund Level Global to liquidate funds

FEBRUARY 11, 2011, 12:38 P.M. ET
Hedge fund Level Global to liquidate funds

Associated Press

NEW YORK — One of several hedge funds that is under scrutiny in an insider trading probe is liquidating its funds and returning cash to investors.

Level Global Investors LP expects to fully liquidate by the end of March, according to a letter to investors obtained by The Associated Press on Friday.

Greek bank Emporiki's losses up, provisions jump

Greek bank Emporiki's losses up, provisions jump

Fri Feb 11, 2011 11:27am EST

Emporiki full-year 2010 loss at 874 mln euros

*Loan-loss provisions up 55 pct, reach 1 bln euros

ATHENS, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Greek bank Emporiki (CBGr.AT), majority-owned by France's Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA), said on Friday full-year 2010 losses widened 50 percent to 874 million euros ($1.18 billion) on higher provisions.

What’s Behind S&P’s Stable Outlook For U.S. Municipal Water And Sewer Utilities

What’s Behind Standard & Poor’s Stable Outlook For U.S. Municipal Water And Sewer Utilities (00:09:17 min)

Standard & Poor’s believes that the U.S. municipal water, sewer, and drainage utility sector is likely to enjoy continued rating stability this year, despite regulatory and financing concerns. In this podcast, credit analyst Ted Chapman discusses the rationale behind our thinking, the sector’s ratings universe, how climate, hydrology, and water supplies can affect credit quality, and more.

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U.S. Leveraged Finance

For U.S. Leveraged Finance, How Much Credit Risk Remains?

While prices on speculative-grade bonds and leveraged loans suggest that the U.S. leveraged finance market has stabilized since the severe disruption of 2008-2009, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services believes risks remain, especially for borrowers at the lower end of the credit spectrum.

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U.S. Corporate Defaults Set To Remain Low (S&P)

U.S. Corporate Defaults Set To Remain Low, With Solid Recoveries, Say Investor Panelists

Defaults among U.S. nonfinancial corporate borrowers will probably remain low as the economic recovery strengthens, though risks to the stabilization of credit quality remain, said panelists at Standard & Poor's Ratings Services' Leveraged Credit & Recovery Conference in New York.

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European Leveraged Loan Study 2009 (S&P)

European Leveraged Loan Study 2009: Global Economic Crisis Results In A Dramatic Shift In Default And Recovery Rates

Standard & Poor's has completed its annual "European Leveraged Loan Default And Recovery Study," bringing the data and analysis up to date through 2009. The portfolio of transactions now includes data reflecting a full down cycle (2008-2009). Compared to the previous report, which covered only the beginning of the downturn, the most recent results show a much steeper increase in European leveraged loan default rates and a continued decline in recoveries.

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For U.S. And Canadian Forest Products Companies, A Stable Outlook In 2011 Takes Root (S&P)

For U.S. And Canadian Forest Products Companies, A Stable Outlook In 2011 Takes Root (00:06:25 min)

As companies in the U.S. and Canadian forest products sector shift cash from operations from debt reduction to capital investment, acquisitions, or shareholder payments, we expect positive credit actions to slow. Nevertheless, we believe most of the forest products companies that we rate will improve operating performance in the first half of 2011, reflecting an almost universal rise in average paper prices. In this podcast, Standard & Poor's Associate Director Tobias Crabtree discusses the sector outlook for the coming year.

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