EU Banks Seen Bowing to U.S. on Russia Bans as Fines Rise

European banks, contending with escalating U.S. fines for sanctions violations, will likely bow to fresh bans imposed by the U.S. on financing Russian companies as the risks of dealing with the nation mount.

Hedge Funds Replace Banks as Europe Property Lenders

Investors in commercial mortgage bonds have grown so tired of waiting for Europe’s market to recover after the financial crisis that they are now lending directly to property developers.

European banks to be stress-tested against two years of recession: source

(Reuters) - European banks will be tested on their ability to withstand a recession stretching through 2014 and the following year as part of a landmark review into whether they finally have enough capital to withstand economic shocks, a source familiar with the tests said on Friday.

Chinese Investors Pursue U.S. Property Deals

First, it was the Japanese. Moneymen from Tokyo blew into the United States to buy famous pieces of the American landscape, from Rockefeller Center in New York to the Pebble Beach Golf Links in California.

Post-Cyprus credit rebound hints at bounce for unloved banks

LONDON (Reuters) - A hasty scramble to ditch European banks after Cyprus took a contentious sovereign bailout drove some stocks lower than the credit market suggests they should be, potentially leaving them ripe for a rebound.

Analysis: Qatar demands respect with muscular Xstrata strategy

DUBAI (Reuters) - By holding out against Glencore's bid for mining giant Xstrata , Qatar is not just gunning for more profit from its stake, but showing Western financiers it won't be pushed around.

Is now a good time to invest in Europe? Some investors seem to think so

LONDON —About 60 billion euros ($76.5 billion) has been raised to buy so-called noncore loan assets currently held by European banks, according to the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Hedge Funds Underestimating Europe’s Will to Force Greek Losses

Feb. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Hedge funds seeking to wring profits from a Greek debt restructuring are underestimating the will of policy makers to impose losses on them, according to investors who say trying to beat the politicians is too risky.

Scenarios: Possible outcomes of Greek debt talks

LONDON (Reuters) - Greece must persuade its creditors to take a hefty loss on their investments in order to unlock the aid money it needs to stay afloat, but talks are proving tough, making a messy default in March a real prospect.

Bargain Bank Values in Europe Fail to Lure Buyers Amid Crisis

Dec. 8 (Bloomberg) -- European banks are struggling to find buyers for at least $32 billion of businesses earmarked for sale as the sovereign-debt crisis drags on, raising the likelihood they’ll have to settle for fire-sale prices.

GCC Sovereign Wealth Funds monitor European opportunities

The eurozone is in crisis, and many expect that Middle East money will be used to help bail out struggling European banks and even governments. But with no guarantees the eurozone will even survive its current troubles, might Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds be reluctant to help out this time around?

Two of Greece's biggest banks are in advanced talks over a merger, which would see Alpha Bank, the country's second-largest bank, take over Eurobank, which failed recent stress tests designed to calculate how the institutions would cope in any future financial meltdown.