Germany prepping for Greek default

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is preparing plans to shore up German banks in the event that Greece fails to meet the terms of its aid package and defaults, three coalition officials said.

The emergency plan involves measures to help banks and insurers that face a possible 50 percent loss on their Greek bonds if the next tranche of Greece’s bailout is withheld, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deliberations are being held in private. The successor to the German government’s bank-rescue fund introduced in 2008 might be enrolled to help recapitalize the banks, one of the people said.

The existence of a “Plan B” underscores German concerns that Greece’s failure to stick to budget-cutting targets threatens European efforts to tame the debt crisis rattling the euro. German lawmakers stepped up their criticism of Greece this week, threatening to withhold aid unless it meets the terms of its austerity package, after an international mission to Athens suspended its report on the country’s progress.

Greece is “on a knife’s edge,” German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told lawmakers at a closed-door meeting in Berlin on Sept. 7, a report in parliament’s bulletin showed yesterday. If the government can’t meet the aid terms, “it’s up to Greece to figure out how to get financing without the euro zone’s help,” he later said in a speech to parliament. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-09/germany-said-to-prepare-plan-to-aid-country-s-banks-should-greece-default.html

[FLPanhandle]

1. Who didn't see this coming?

Anyone who wasn't preparing for the inevitable Greek default wasn't paying attention. The Bankers got their EU taxpayer money though, so they are happy.

[xchrom]

2. recommend

[Skink]

3. Greeks don't do austerity well.

let that be a lesson to us.

[banned from Kos]

4. Greek 2-yr bonds were yielding 46% at the start of the week

They are paying double Pay-Day loan rates.

Greece is screwed.