Catalan Banks Owing ECB $77 Billion May Stall Independenc

Catalan bank borrowings of about 60 billion euros ($77 billion) from the European Central Bank may prove an obstacle on the region’s path to possible independence.

CaixaBank SA, Spain’s third-biggest bank, took about 20 billion euros in central bank funding, according to the Barcelona-based company’s accounts. Banco Sabadell SA, a Catalan lender that became Spain’s fifth-biggest after a string of acquisitions, has borrowed about 27 billion euros.