Danish Regional Banks Fall After Latest Bust: Copenhagen Mover

Denmark’s regional banks were the biggest losers in Copenhagen trading after Sparekassen Lolland A/S (SPALOL) became the latest failure in the country’s banking crisis.

Oestjydsk Bank A/S (OJBA), which last week said 2012 writedowns will wipe out five years of profit, fell 17 percent to 154.50 kroner at 9:10 a.m., making it today’s largest decliner in the Copenhagen all-share index. Diba Bank A/S (DIBA), which has published losses in the last four quarters, was the second-biggest loser, dropping 10 percent to 30.10 kroner.

Denmark’s state resolution agency has closed down about a dozen banks since the nation’s housing bubble burst in 2008, with a further dozen absorbed by stronger rivals. Jyske Bank A/S (JYSK), Denmark’s second-largest listed lender, said on Jan. 25 it will take over Sparekassen Lolland after the regional bank’s equity was lost.

“Have we seen the last bank failure in Denmark? I hardly think so,” Simon Christensen, an analyst at Nordea Bank AB in Copenhagen, said by phone. “Thinly capitalized banks tend to delay booking writedowns until they’re forced to do so or until they can raise capital, which was also the case here.”

Local lenders Hvidbjerg Bank A/S (HVID), Nordfyns Bank (NRDF) A/S and Nordjyske Bank A/S were also among today’s 10 biggest losers in the all-share index, which fell less than 0.1 percent.

Jyske, based in Silkeborg, Denmark, rose as much as 4.7 percent, the most since Oct. 18.

To contact the reporters on this story: Christian Wienberg in Copenhagen at cwienberg@bloomberg.net; Peter Levring in Copenhagen at plevring1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tasneem Brogger at tbrogger@bloomberg.net