Portugal Finalizes Capital Injection Into Banks

LISBON--Portugal's government has finalized a capital injection into three of the country's largest lenders, allowing them to meet new requirements set by the European Banking Authority.

Last month, the Portuguese government said it would inject as much as 6.65 billion euros ($8.42 billion) into the three banks so they could meet a Core Tier 1 ratio of 9% and weather loan losses that have risen amid the economic slowdown.

In a statement, the Finance Ministry confirmed it has already provided EUR3 billion to Banco Comercial Portugues SA (BCP.LB) in exchange for contingent convertible bonds.

The state could also inject a further EUR500 million into the bank if shareholders don't participate in a capital raising expected to be completed by September.

Banco BPI SA (BPI.LB), meanwhile, issued EUR1.5 billion in contingent convertible bonds to the state. The bank has said it plans to raise EUR200 million from shareholders by September and immediately buy back some of the bonds from the government.

The so-called CoCos are sold as interest-bearing debt that has to be paid back. But they convert to equity in the event that a bank's capital ratios fall below certain levels.

Money for BCP and BPI was taken out of a EUR12 billion recapitalization line under Portugal's EUR78 billion bailout program.

State-owned Caixa Geral de Depositos has received EUR1.65 billion from the state, including EUR900 million from a CoCos issuance, the ministry said.

Portugal's banks haven't been hit by a property bubble, as seen in bailout peer Ireland or neighbor Spain. Instead, they have been hard hit by Portugal's sovereign debt crisis and now rely heavily on funding from the European Central Bank.

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