UPDATE 1-Deutsche could need 9 bln euros to pass new EU test - sources
By Philipp Halstrick and Alexandra HudsonFRANKFURT/BERLIN, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank would need 9 billion euros ($12.4 billion) in fresh
equity if new EU stress tests imposed a 9 percent core tier 1
capital ratio, two people with direct knowledge of the bank’s
finances said on Thursday.The bank would pass the latest European Banking Authority
test if a 7 percent ratio were to be required, the sources told
Reuters.Deutsche Bank declined to comment, but in separate remarks
the bank’s chief executive said it would do all it could to
avoid a forced recapitalisation.Josef Ackermann said the bank had enough funds of its own to
cope with a crisis and added that writedowns of sovereign debt,
or haircuts, combined with demands to boost bank capital could
lead to a credit crunch in the real economy.The European financial watchdog is going to require banks to
hold more capital than previously demanded in order for them to
be able to withstand sovereign debt writedowns and a worsening
economic situation.Ackermann, Germany’s most high-profile banker, said it was
doubtful whether a blanket recapitalisation of European banks —
a measure being considered by politicians in Germany and France
— would help solve the sovereign debt crisis.”It is not the capital position which is the problem, but
the fact that sovereign debt as an asset class has lost its
risk-free status,” Ackermann told a conference in Berlin. “The
key to the solution is therefore in the hands of governments, to
restore confidence in the solidity of state finances.”He said it was key to ensure that banks had access to
long-term financing from markets. “At the moment that is close
to impossible for any bank,” he said.Before considering further measures to stabilise the euro
zone politicians and regulators should consider the cumulative
impact of proposals such as forced recapitalisation, a
transaction tax and writedowns on bonds.”We need to find the right balance between stricter
regulation of the financial sector and the impacts these have on
the economy as a whole,” he said.Deutsche Bank’s obligation to retain Greek bonds had cost it
400 million euros this year, he said.Ackermann’s warning comes as Europe’s economic engine faces
slowing growth in many of Germany’s top export markets as
governments rein in spending to bring down high debt levels.The German government expects gross domestic product growth
of 3 percent this year, which would provide vital economic
stimulus to a euro zone that has become increasingly dependent
on Germany as the debt crisis intensifies.