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Has The Greek Bank Run Started? | ZeroHedge

While the long-term decline in bank deposits over the past 3 years has been well documented both on Zero Hedge and elsewhere, it is the most recent, acute post-election phase that has not gotten much coverage. Minutes ago Bloomberg sent out a notice that things in Greece may be on the verge of the final collapse. From Bloomberg: "Anxious Greeks have withdrawn as much as 700 million euros ($893 million) from the nation's banks since the inconclusive May 6 election, President Karolos Papoulias told party leaders yesterday, according to a transcript of the meeting posted on the presidency's website today. Papoulias said he got the information from the head of the Bank of Greece, the central bank, George Provopoulos, according to the transcript." While this was likely a negotiation talking point to facilitate the formation of the government, the reality as we now know is that there has been NO government formed, which now means that the bank run will only get worse. Needless to say, a Greek banking system which is now virtually shut out of any extrenal funding except for the ELA, where it has a few billions euros in access left, will be unable to deal with hundreds of millions in deposit outflows.

This may be the beginning of the end for Greece, just as Buiter and later JPM warned over the weekend.

by Nomad on Tue May 15th, 2012 at 04:54:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]
This is the sort of announcement you only make after your announcement that you have suspended convertibility and restricted transfers to foreign banks.

- Jake

Austerity can only be implemented in the shadow of a concentration camp.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Tue May 15th, 2012 at 05:28:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
unless you are trying to prove that even risking non-austerity financial schemes are going to cause chaos....

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue May 15th, 2012 at 08:09:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Deliberately precipitating a run on your own country's banks strikes me as something that wouldn't go over well in front of a jury.

- Jake

Austerity can only be implemented in the shadow of a concentration camp.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Tue May 15th, 2012 at 08:59:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well unless you're convinced that your kind of people never end up in front of the judges....

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue May 15th, 2012 at 09:07:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Exactly how is Wm. Buiter or JPM to be brought before any jury on this matter?

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Wed May 16th, 2012 at 01:20:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Papoulias or Provopoulos, rather.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed May 16th, 2012 at 01:35:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Yes, at least a year ago
German banks target worried Greeks in Germany

Greeks worried about a debt restructuring or a euro exit increasingly transfer their money to banks abroad, Bild-Zeitung reports. According to the mass circulation tabloid German banks such a savings bank in Munich have posted signs in their windows advertising in Greek and German that Greek costumers will be advised in Greek. According to the paper €30bn have already been transferred from Greece abroad since the crisis started.

(from Eurointelligence)

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 16th, 2012 at 03:54:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Does anybody have an idea about how serious this is:

Reuters: "ECB stops operations with some Greek bank: sources":
The European Central Bank has stopped monetary policy operations with some Greek banks as they have not been successfully recapitalized, euro zone central bank sources said on Wednesday.

The ECB declined to comment.

Especially in light of this:

Coene: No emergency liquidity for insolvent banks

The European Central Bank would not green-light emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) if Greece's banks were to become insolvent, ECB Governing Council member Luc Coene has said.



The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake
by talos (mihalis at gmail dot com) on Wed May 16th, 2012 at 12:08:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I think this resolves the "stupid or evil" question: If they were evil, they would be doing that the month after Syriza formed a government, not the month before.

Less flippantly, that is extremely serious. Welcome to Argentina.

Good luck.

- Jake

Austerity can only be implemented in the shadow of a concentration camp.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Wed May 16th, 2012 at 12:11:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Time to take back your country, kids.

I have a t-shirt with that on it. And whatever you do, DON'T BLINK!
by THE Twank (yatta blah blah @ blah.com) on Wed May 16th, 2012 at 12:15:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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