France orders banks to hold capital buffer for risks
PARIS, June 11 (Reuters) - France's financial stability council on Monday took the unprecedented step of requiring banks to keep extra capital set aside for risks related to a private sector borrowing binge.
The council, headed by the finance minister, imposed a so-called counter-cyclical buffer of 0.25 percent on banks' risk-weighted assets in France on a recommendation from the central bank.
All French banks already have sufficient capital on hand to meet the limit, a source close to the council said. Foreign banks are also required to impose the buffer on their French assets.
The aim of the unprecedented measure is to ensure that banks have sufficient capital on hand to shoulder any losses on loans that turn sour if the business cyclical takes a turn for the worst in the future.
Driven by big companies looking to lock in low interest rates, bank lending to the private sector has surged, up 5.1 percent in April from the same period last year, according to the Bank of France.
As a result private sector debt has reached a record of more than 130 percent of gross domestic product, the highest in the euro zone.
Though France has so far never required the capital buffer before, the financial stability council has already required France's six biggest banks to limit their exposure to the most indebted corporate borrowers. (Reporting by Leigh Thomas; editing by Richard Lough)
