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☆ UBS completes Credit Suisse takeover
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —UBS has finalized its emergency takeover of fallen rival Credit Suisse, creating a giant Swiss bank with nearly $1.7 trillion in assets in the biggest banking tie-up since the 2008 global financial crisis. The government has said that allowing Credit Suisse (CS) — one of the world’s 30 most important banks — to fail would probably have triggered an international financial crisis. Swiss taxpayers are on the hook for up to 9 billion Swiss francs ($10 billion) of losses that UBS may incur from certain Credit Suisse assets, over and above losses of 5 billion francs ($5.5 billion) that UBS has agreed to bear itself. Investors have already sued the Swiss financial regulator over its decision to impose those losses on them, Reuters has reported. Credit Suisse bled customer deposits worth 67 billion francs ($74.3 billion) in the first three months of the year, adding to massive withdrawals at the end of last year.

Persons: FINMA, “ FINMA, “, Sergio Ermotti, Colm Kelleher, Ermotti, Kelleher, ” Organizations: London CNN, UBS, Credit Suisse, Swiss, Financial Times, CNN, Suisse, Reuters, Credit, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank Locations: Swiss, Switzerland, Silicon, United States

☆ UBS says it has completed the takeover of stricken rival Credit Suisse
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

UBS expects to complete its takeover of Credit Suisse "as early as June 12", which will create a giant Swiss bank with a balance sheet of $1.6 trillion. Swiss bank UBS on Monday said that it formally completed the takeover of its rival Credit Suisse. Regulators said Friday that they would cover losses of up to 9 billion Swiss francs ($10 billion) after UBS incurs the first 5 billion Swiss francs as part of the transaction, as it absorbs a portfolio that does not entirely "fit its business and risk profile." Following the acquisition, Credit Suisse and its American Depositary Shares will be delisted from the SIX Swiss Exchange and New York Stock Exchange, with shareholders receiving one UBS share for every 22.48 Credit Suisse shares held. The takeover, which follows multiple scandals and years of share price decline at Credit Suisse, controversially wiped out the 16 billion Swiss francs ($17 billion) worth of assets of the bank's AT1 bond holders.

Persons: Colm Kelleher, Sergio Ermotti Organizations: UBS, Credit Suisse, Regulators, American, SIX Swiss Exchange, New York Stock Exchange Locations: Swiss

THE SWISS BANKPossibly the first hurdle is a politically fraught decision on Credit Suisse's "crown jewel", its domestic business. But UBS will have to weigh that against public pressure to keep the Credit Suisse business separate with its own brand, identity and, critically, workforce. However, insiders talk of rivals aggressively wooing Credit Suisse clients and employees. Clients who would typically bank both with UBS and Credit Suisse to spread their risk, might now take some of that business elsewhere. One potential risk stems from legal challenges to the decision by Swiss authorities to write off special AT1 bonds issued by Credit Suisse.

Persons: Sergio Ermotti, Ermotti, Colm Kelleher, Alan Mudie, Arturo Bris, Kelleher, Lars Schweizer, John Revill, Oliver Hirt, Noele Illien, Tomasz Janowski, Elisa Martinuzzi, Alexander Smith Organizations: Credit Suisse, UBS, Suisse, Woodman Asset Management, Finance, International Institute for Management Development, Reuters Graphics, Credit, Frankfurt University, Barclays, Thomson Locations: ZURICH, Switzerland, Swiss, Lausanne

Credit Suisse bankers, worried about their future are seeking safer employment at competitors, one person said. Credit Suisse said in April that the bank's "employee attrition has been higher over the last year," and that it had just over 48,000 full-time employees at the end of the first quarter. In an example of competitors poaching Credit Suisse's staff, Santander, Spain’s biggest bank, has hired at least eight bankers from Credit Suisse and was targeting more, Bloomberg News reported this month. UBS management has also said it would set a very high bar when deciding whether to retain any of Credit Suisse's investment banking staff. A banker from Credit Suisse in Zurich told Reuters the lender was in a state of flux, with its investment bank seeing the most staff departures.

Persons: Blick, Colm Kelleher, Noele Illien, Stefania Spezzati, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Credit Suisse, UBS, . Credit Suisse, Credit Suisse's, Santander, Bloomberg News, Reuters, Swiss Finance Ministry, Thomson Locations: ZURICH, Swiss, Spain’s, Zurich

☆ Switzerland's Social Democrats propose shrinking UBS
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( John Revill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The left-leaning party will propose to cap the bank's assets at half of Switzerland's gross domestic product, effectively forcing the new UBS to slash its assets to a quarter of their current level. Social Democrats are the second-biggest party in the lower house, but with only 39 of the 200 seats will need support of other parties. The Swiss People's Party, which has 53 lower house seats, joined the Social Democrats in rejecting the government's aid package for the merger last month and has also called for no more taxpayer-funded bailouts for banks. An alternative, also considered by the Social Democrats, would be imposing higher capital requirements if the bank's assets rose above 50% of Swiss GDP. "The aim is for UBS to become smaller," Marti told the newspaper.

☆ Switzerland's Social Democrats propose shrinking UBS - Aargauer Zeitung
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ZURICH, May 30 (Reuters) - Switzerland's Social Democratic Party has drawn up a proposal to shrink UBS (UBSG.S) assets after its takeover of Credit Suisse (CSGN.S), the Aargauer Zeitung newspaper reported. The lender is expected to close the deal with Credit Suisse "very shortly," Chairman Colm Kelleher said last week. An alternative would be imposing higher capital requirements if the bank's assets rose above 50% of Swiss GDP. At present the Swiss parliament is discussing an equity requirement of 15%. "The aim is for UBS to become smaller," Marti told the newspaper.

☆ Resolving Credit Suisse: an alternative history
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Reuters GraphicsThe market shock will be all the more extreme because Credit Suisse doesn’t obviously need more capital. It seems perverse to put taxpayer money on the line while leaving the Credit Suisse bonds untouched. Of the 30 global lenders classed as systemically important by the Financial Stability Board, Credit Suisse is the third-smallest by total assets. It also enables the Swiss National Bank to offer Credit Suisse an open-ended credit line, hopefully ending the bank run. Credit Suisse is suffering from a crisis of confidence brought on by years of mismanagement, rather than a system-wide meltdown.

Chief Judge Colm Connolly's ruling for Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc (ALNY.O) came just over a month after a different judge in Delaware rejected Moderna's similar motion in another vaccine patent lawsuit. Representatives for Moderna and Alnylam did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Moderna made the same argument in a motion to dismiss part of another patent lawsuit brought by Arbutus Biopharma Corp (ABUS.O) and Genevant Sciences GmbH. U.S. District Judge Mitchell Goldberg rejected Moderna's motion in that case last year and said it had not yet proven the government was more than an "incidental beneficiary" of the shots. Goldberg denied the motion for a second time last month after the federal government backed Moderna's position.

[1/2] A view shows the logo of Credit Suisse on a building near the Hallenstadion where Credit Suisse Annual General Meeting took place, two weeks after being bought by rival UBS in a government-brokered rescue, in Zurich, Switzerland, April 4, 2023. UBS and Credit Suisse declined to comment. What's more, UBS doesn't tend to lend to potential clients as Credit Suisse has often done, a move that can persuade some customers. "There are clearly parts of Credit Suisse that have had a bad culture," UBS Chairman Colm Kelleher told reporters on March 29. UBS ranked 14th advising on mergers globally last year, behind 11th placed Credit Suisse, according to data compiled by Dealogic.

☆ The Best Book Judy Blume Ever Got as a Gift? ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover.’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I’m about to start Rebecca Makkai’s “I Have Some Questions for You.” I just finished “Still Pictures,” by Janet Malcolm. Yesterday afternoon I read a graphic memoir, “Gender Queer,” by Maia Kobabe, the most banned book in the country right now. Books I’ve finished but still in the pile: “Ms. A train is good but how often am I on a train these days? So maybe the best place for reading is sitting on my balcony overlooking the ocean (I know, right?).

☆ UBS can score a quick win with Swiss sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, April 12 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Credit Suisse’s (CSGN.S) Swiss business is theoretically the jewel in the bank’s tarnished crown. Hiving off the Credit Suisse local unit could save Kelleher and his Chief Executive Sergio Ermotti a lot of grief. By contrast, UBS is paying just $3.6 billion for all of Credit Suisse, based on the buyer’s most recent share price. Kelleher could in theory just hand the Credit Suisse local division to shareholders, but that could prove destabilising if they all cash out immediately. UBS will rescue Credit Suisse in a deal worth about 3 billion Swiss francs, Swiss authorities and the two banks said on March 19.

☆ Think You Know How ‘Succession’ Ends? Want to Bet?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Wilson Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“Succession” has earned acclaim for its depiction of the fictional lives of the mega-rich, power-hungry and venal Roy siblings (Connor, Kendall, Shiv and Roman) as they vie for control of Waystar Royco. “I might spend it on a trip to Tuscany.” (The location of the drama-filled Season 3 wedding of Caroline Collingwood, Shiv, Kendall and Roman’s mother, on the show.) Jayson Buford, who placed a $20 bet with nine of his friends at his “Succession” watch parties, said betting was “a fun activity to do to supplement the idea of the show, which is very communal. It’s a show about a family, people have watch parties, people gather, and it plays within that.” Mr. Buford believes that Waystar Royco is going to dissolve and that nobody will take over the company. Logan “thinks Kendall is an addict, and he doesn’t think Shiv is smart,” he said.

☆ UBS tells investors 'Herculean' Credit Suisse takeover will pay off
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Noele Illien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Buildings of Swiss banks UBS and Credit Suisse are seen on the Paradeplatz in Zurich, Switzerland, March 20, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File PhotoBASEL, April 5 (Reuters) - UBS (UBSG.S) executives sought to assure investors on Wednesday that Switzerland's largest bank can make its unexpected takeover of Swiss rival Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) work and pay off for its shareholders. "We believe the transaction is financially attractive for UBS shareholders," he said. Looking at how to navigate the mammoth task of integrating Credit Suisse, the success of which Switzerland depends on, UBS has already taken the first steps. "The acquisition of Credit Suisse will be a major challenge," Hamers said, while echoing the bank's chairman in highlighting new opportunities.

☆ UBS seeks to assure investors shotgun Credit Suisse takeover can pay off
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Noele Illien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Buildings of Swiss banks UBS and Credit Suisse are seen on the Paradeplatz in Zurich, Switzerland, March 20, 2023. "We believe the transaction is financially attractive for UBS shareholders," he said. The hastily arranged rescue, not only angered and unsettled both banks' shareholders, but also many in Switzerland. Looking at how to navigate the mammoth task of integrating Credit Suisse, the success of which Switzerland depends on, UBS has already taken the first steps. "The acquisition of Credit Suisse will be a major challenge," Hamers said, while echoing the bank's chairman in highlighting new opportunities.

☆ UBS Chairman addresses shareholders on milestone Credit Suisse takeover
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] UBS Chairman Colm Kelleher speaks during the Annual General Meeting, two weeks after buying rival Swiss bank Credit Suisse, in Basel, Switzerland, April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Pierre AlbouyBASEL, April 5 (Reuters) - UBS's (UBSG.S) Chairman told the bank's annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday that the takeover of rival Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) was a significant milestone for Switzerland and for the global financial industry. Kelleher addressed shareholders for the fist time since the announcement of the takeover, urgently engineered and pushed through by the Swiss authorities last month. Outlining UBS's strategy, Kelleher said the Credit Suisse takeover would help the bank to deliver value to the Swiss economy and accelerate its strategic plans to expand its position as the leading wealth manager, particularly through growth in the United States and Asia. Reporting by Noele Illien Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UBS faces investors after shotgun Credit Suisse takeover
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Noele Illien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Last month, Swiss authorities announced that UBS would buy Credit Suisse in a shotgun merger to stem further banking turmoil after the smaller lender had come to the brink of collapse. After a run on deposits, the Swiss government had turned to UBS, which agreed to buy Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.3 billion), while the Alpine state put up more than 200 billion francs of support and guarantees. Now, the bank is looking at how to navigate the mammoth task of integrating Credit Suisse, the success of which Switzerland depends on, without undermining its strengths. On Tuesday, Reuters also reported that the Bank of England had approved UBS' takeover of Credit Suisse in Britain, a key market for the Swiss lenders racing to close the rescue deal. UBS also secured a temporary green light from European Union antitrust regulators to complete its acquisition of Credit Suisse, but will still have to request clearance under EU merger rules, the European Commission said.

☆ UBS faces investors after shotgun Credit Suisse merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Noele Illien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ZURICH, April 5 (Reuters) - UBS (UBSG.S) will seek to reassure shareholders on Wednesday that its unexpected takeover of rival Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) in the biggest bank rescue since the great financial crash can work. Last month, Swiss authorities announced that UBS would buy Credit Suisse in a shotgun merger to stem further banking turmoil after the smaller lender had come to the brink of collapse. After a run on deposits, the Swiss government had turned to UBS, which agreed to buy Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.3 billion), while the Alpine state put up more than 200 billion francs of support and guarantees. Now, the bank is looking at how to navigate the mammoth task of integrating Credit Suisse, the success of which Switzerland depends on, without undermining its strengths. The bank's annual general meeting comes a day after executives at Credit Suisse faced their own shareholders and Chairman Axel Lehmann apologised for leading the bank to the verge of bankruptcy.

☆ UBS holds first shareholder meeting since controversial Credit Suisse takeover
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Newly appointed UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti (R) speaks with UBS Chairman Colm Kelleher during a press conference in Zurich on March 29, 2023. UBS will hold its annual general meeting on Wednesday morning against a fraught political backdrop, following its takeover of fallen rival Credit Suisse last month. New CEO Sergio Ermotti will take the reins on Wednesday after his shock reappointment last week, as UBS takes on the mammoth task of integrating its fallen compatriot's business. Ermotti's return was seen by many commentators as an attempt to restore calm, as the country's long-established reputation for financial stability teeters on the line. Credit Suisse held the final independent AGM in its 167-year history in Zurich on Tuesday, after Swiss authorities brokered an "emergency rescue" in late March, when the bank's share price tumbled and depositors fled en masse.

☆ Sergio Ermotti returns as UBS CEO to steer Credit Suisse takeover
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( John Revill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Sergio Ermotti, newly rehired CEO of UBS Group AG attends a news conference in Zurich, Switzerland March 29, 2023. "Sergio has already reduced risk and made the investment bank serve its clients and not its investment bankers as Credit Suisse did. Reuters GraphicsErmotti had earlier described the task of integrating UBS and Credit Suisse as "urgent and challenging". The Dutch executive was a notable absentee from the announcement of UBS's takeover of Credit Suisse on March 19. The next day, Hamers looked bleary eyed as he described the end of Credit Suisse as a "sad day" that nobody wanted.

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Ermotti may need to persuade Switzerland's authorities that UBS should keep "the piece de resistance," Credit Suisse's domestic bank, said Porta's Wittmann. During the financial crash of 2008 it was UBS, not Credit Suisse, that took the lion's share of support from the state. One of Ermotti's biggest challenges may be to prevent Credit Suisse's problems contaminating UBS, which will involve hacking back its investment bank and its unwieldy derivatives. Disentangling Credit Suisse's finances, however, is only a part of the problem. "There are clearly parts of Credit Suisse that have had a bad culture.

☆ Boomerang UBS boss ticks several important boxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

That’s the best explanation for why Chair Colm Kelleher on Wednesday said the Swiss bank was replacing CEO Ralph Hamers with erstwhile boss Sergio Ermotti. Though the move violates several corporate-governance red lines, it improves the group’s chances of successfully absorbing stricken rival Credit Suisse (CSGN.S). Nor was his hesitant delivery in a call with analysts after announcing the Credit Suisse deal. During his previous spell in charge, UBS held talks with Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) and discussed a merger with Credit Suisse. Ermotti, a Swiss national, led the Swiss bank for nine years, departing in late 2020, and is currently chair of Swiss Re.

☆ 'Call of duty': With Sergio Ermotti, Switzerland gets a cost-cutting local to restore its reputation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

UBS announced on Wednesday that the former CEO would replace Ralph Hamers from April 5, as the Swiss bank undertakes the mammoth task of integrating fallen rival Credit Suisse into its business. Incoming UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti on Wednesday said his return to the helm was "a call of duty," as the Swiss veteran takes on the task of restoring order to the country's battered financial reputation . Kelleher emphasized that Ermotti's task — the successful integration of Credit Suisse into UBS — was "essential for both banks' clients, people and investors, for Switzerland and for the global financial system in general." Asked by CNBC during Wednesday's press conference about his motivation for returning to UBS, Ermotti said there was "a call of duty aspect" to his decision. "I'm fully aware that we need to work very hard here to avoid any consequence for the taxpayers in Switzerland.

☆ The Swiss claim the U.S. banking crisis ultimately toppled Credit Suisse. But are they right?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Pascal Mora | Bloomberg | Getty Imageswatch nowHowever, the downward spiral of Credit Suisse's share price and mounting asset outflows were underway long before the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank earlier this month. Swiss regulator FINMA has come under fire for allowing the situation to deteriorate as the bank spent years mired in losses and scandal. Mark Yallop, chairman of the U.K.'s Financial Markets Standards Board and former U.K. CEO at UBS, told CNBC on Tuesday that he agreed with the broad assessment that Credit Suisse's downfall was "idiosyncratic." "It's unfortunate that the problems with some of the smaller U.S. banks in the last two or three weeks happened at the same time as this issue with Credit Suisse but the two are completely different and very largely unrelated," he said. By contrast, the Swiss banking and regulatory system has come under fire.

☆ Swiss regulator says central bank loan to Credit Suisse justified AT1 bond writedown
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Swiss regulator FINMA on Thursday defended its decision to instruct Credit Suisse to write down its AT1 bonds — a controversial part of the lender's emergency sale to UBS — saying it was a "viability event." The regulator said the loan Credit Suisse received from the Swiss National Bank last week, backed by the federal government, meant the conditions for a writedown had been met. The regulator instructed Credit Suisse to write down 16 billion Swiss francs of AT1 bonds, widely regarded as relatively risky investments, to zero, while equity shareholders will receive payouts at the stock's takeover value. "As Credit Suisse received extraordinary liquidity assistance loans secured by a federal default guarantee on 19 March 2023, these contractual conditions were met for the AT1 instruments issued by the bank." The Swiss federal government enacted an emergency ordinance to guarantee the additional liquidity assistance from the SNB to Credit Suisse, in order to ensure the successful implementation of the UBS takeover.

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