Financial Collapse Signa Holding: Is a Banking Crisis Imminent?
The financially embattled Signa Holding of Austrian entrepreneur René Benko had announced insolvency at the end of November. Since its founding in 1999, Benko had continually expanded his corporate empire. From the outside, the corporate construct was difficult to decipher. The decline of the trading and real estate group had been apparent for some time. Some subsidiaries had already filed for bankruptcy.
Ruins would be the lesser evil All the consequences of the mega bankruptcy will only gradually come to light in the coming weeks. Frequently discussed are possible ruins in the inner cities. In Düsseldorf, for example, work on the Carsch-Haus has been suspended, a shopping temple near the shopping mile Kö. In Munich, a building stop applies to the Alte Akademie in the pedestrian zone. Will the image of German inner cities in the future be characterized by ruins?
Less discussed in the media are currently the consequences for banks. However, these could be particularly dangerous. Numerous banks, insurers and fund companies have granted Signa loans. According to tagesschau.de, the circle of creditors also includes German state banks, including Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen, Bayern LB, LBBW from Baden-Württemberg and Nord-LB.
German banks are affected Money that may have been destroyed is not talked about. However, observers suspect three-digit million amounts. Could the losses become a problem for the German financial market?
„German state banks always have a relatively large investment need and are therefore often involved in such large projects – with relatively high volumes,“ explains Hans-Peter Burghof, professor of banking at the University of Hohenheim, on tagesschau.de.
It could be advantageous if the banks held mortgages. Then they would hold the basic rights to the properties. The properties could then be exploited, in the fire would only stand the difference between the loan volume and the sales proceeds.
Although Burghof currently does not see any serious danger for the banks, he admits that the risk depends on the individual projects. So nothing can be said for sure yet.
Billion amounts are at stake Swiss bank Julius Bär already named concrete figures. The financial institution quantified the credit risk at 600 million Swiss francs. The name Signa was not mentioned, but observers are sure according to tagesschau.de that it is the insolvent holding. In Austria, it looks even darker. According to media reports, the mountain of debt here is over two billion euros.
Especially in Austria, the uncertainty is great, politicians are trying to calm down. Insolvencies belonged to the economy, said Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
How to save your assets from a possible new crisis What end the Signa bankruptcy will have is still completely unclear. Even if banks and other investors got away with a blue eye, the Signa bankruptcy could be the beginning of a new wave of bankruptcies. The high interest burden and the rising construction costs could also drive other real estate companies to ruin.
How many mortgages can fail before the banks get into serious trouble? Is a new banking crisis rolling up on us? We don’t know, but foresight is better than hindsight.
That’s why we recommend that you take action to protect your assets. With the recommendations from Sicheres Geld, the advice service for critical investors who want active asset protection, it’s easier than you think. Loyal readers can confirm this. Despite the crisis, they were able to protect and increase their assets in the past two years.