NBG raises 300 mln euro from domestic offering, says source

National Bank of Greece raised 300 million euro from a share offering to domestic investors as part of measures to shore up its capital, a bank official said on Thursday.

"National Bank achieved its target and raised 300 million euros," the official said, who requested anonymity as the figure is due to be officially announced later.

Greece's largest lender by assets was found to have a capital shortfall of 4.6 billion euros ($4.86 billion) under an adverse scenario in a European Central Bank health check in October.

It has raised some 1.28 billion euros from a bond-for-shares swap, a share placement to international investors and other actions approved by the ECB.

An additional 308 million euros will result from converting of other capital instruments into common shares, leaving a shortfall of 2.7 billion euros under the adverse scenario that is expected to be filled through state aid, the bank has said.

The European Commission's competition authority has already approved the state aid in contingent convertible bonds and shares.

Greece's four largest lenders were found to have a combined capital shortfall of 14.4 billion euros under the so-called adverse scenario in a European central bank review in October.

National and Piraeus will need 5.7 billion euros of recapitalisation money from the euro zone, well below the 25 billion euros set aside under Greece's third bailout programme.

Eurobank and Alpha Bank managed to raise enough funds through share sales to private investors to plug their own capital gaps without state aid.

[Reuters]