Spain: 5 banks downgraded, Bankia seeks 19 billion euros in aid

Bankia was among the five banks downgraded by S&P on Friday (Angel Navarrete / Bloomberg / May 25, 2012)
By Tiffany Hsu

May 25, 2012, 12:17 p.m.

It’s not looking good for the Spanish banking system. Standard & Poor’s just slashed the credit ratings of five banks and said the country is headed into a double-dip recession. One of them, Bankia, just asked the government for 19 billion euros in aid - a roughly $23.8 billion boost.

That makes it the largest bank bailout in Spain’s history. Combined with escalating concerns that Greece is about to execute its so-called Grexit from the euro currency, the news is doing nothing to alleviate the heightened anxiety in the euro zone.

Standard & Poor’s, which caused market shockwaves last summer when it downgraded U.S. debt, said the Spanish banking sector was vulnerable to turbulence in capital markets because it relies heavily on foreign funding.

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http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-spain-bankia-20120525,0,267898.story