Smanjen kreditini rejting Eurobank EFG i Alpha Bank
Greek banks in ratings downgrade
Two leading Greek banks, Eurobank and Alphabank, have had their credit ratings downgraded by ratings agency Standard and Poor's.
The ratings agency also put Greece's biggest private bank, National Bank of Greece, and fifth largest bank, Piraeus Bank, under negative watch.
The move comes just days after Standard and Poor's cut the country's credit rating.
Greece's public debt stands at 300bn euros ($431bn; £266bn).
The Greek government recently unveiled measures to try to trim its debts, including a 10% cut in public spending.
It has also vowed to tackle corruption and excessive red tape.
At the beginning of December, fellow ratings agency Fitch downgraded Greece.
A credit rating cut indicates to global investors that a country is a more risk-prone place in which to invest.
In a statement detailing the downgrading of the banks, Standard and Poor's said: "These institutions are exposed to the current capital-market turmoil.
"Greek banks are directly exposed to the sovereign's deteriorating credit quality through their large Greek government debt portfolios."
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S&P downgrades two Greek banks, watches two more
Posted: 19 December 2009 0001 hrs
ATHENS : Credit rating agency Standard and Poor's announced on Friday that it had downgraded top Greek banks, Eurobank and Alphabank, and put two others on negative watch.
S&P, which had downgraded Greek sovereign debt on Wednesday, said it had downgraded the long-term ratings with negative watch of Eurobank, the second-biggest bank and Alphabank, the third biggest, to BBB from BBB+.
It also placed their short-term A2 rating under negative watch.
The agency put the biggest private bank, the National Bank of Greece, under negative watch in respect of its equivalent BBB+ and A2 ratings.
It did likewise for the fifth-biggest bank, the Banque of Piraeus for its BBB and A2 ratings.
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