The Popolare di Bari is safe. The shareholders' meeting gave green light for the transformation of the bank into a joint stock company and for a capital increase of over 933 million euros, the latter being essential to arrive at the minimum capital requirements set by the legislation. 96% of the shareholders voted in favour. The announcement was made at the end of the works by the extraordinary commissioner, Antonio Blandini: "A few minutes ago we proclaimed the approval by the extraordinary shareholders' meeting of Banca Popolare di Bari of the proposals for the transformation of the bank into a joint-stock company and capital increase intended for the Interbank Fund and Mediocredito Centrale, subject to coverage of losses and replenishment of a minimum capital of 10 million euro”.
"There was an extraordinary participation - continued the commissioner - which allowed us to hold the meeting on first call with over 35 thousand shareholders who spoke and gave their contribution in this fundamental step for the relaunch of the bank. Approximately 96% of the votes were in favour, demonstrating that the project was fully understood." The bank therefore goes ahead and “there will be a bank in the South and for the South”, continued Blandini, recalling that the vote represents a real rescue, which allows the bank to avoid bankruptcy.
Based on the information provided by Popolare di Bari in a note, more than 50% of the entitled shareholders attended the extraordinary meeting on first call. “A fundamental step has been taken to strengthen the Bank's capital and governance – reads the note – which allows the start of the relaunch phase, in the interest of shareholders, companies, customers, male and female workers, and the whole territory”.
The green light for the transformation into a Spa represented the conditio sine qua non for the implementation of the plan set up by the two commissioners – Antonio Blandini and Enrico Ajello – called by Bankitalia last December to try to avoid the liquidation of the bank after the 1,114 billion abyss in the accounts created by the previous management.
The 1,6 billion operation will envisage entry into the capital of Mediocredito Centrale which will acquire 97% of the shares for 430 million euros. The remaining part of the resources, around 1,2 billion, will instead be allocated by the banks through the mandatory fitd consortium.
"The sense of responsibility prevailed in the end: with the go-ahead of the shareholders for the transformation into a joint-stock company and the capital increase, the rescue of Popolare di Bari can be considered completed" Thus the sgeneral secretary of First Cisl Riccardo Colombani, who adds: "However, it is not yet the time to turn off the lights on the Popolare di Bari. It is essential that the government finish the work begun with the decree passed in December: the next step must be the timely issuing by the MEF of the decrees implementing. But above all it is necessary - underlines the leader of the Cisl banks - that the new shareholders, Central Mediocredito and the Interbank Deposit Protection Fund, move in a manner consistent with the objective of giving life to a banking center in the South, a project which the chances of recovery of an area of the country hit hard by the flight of banks we have witnessed in recent years are linked”.
“With the approval of the shareholders' meeting of Popolare di Bari, the transformation into a spa has definitively turned the page: 2.700 jobs were saved and the economies of various regions – said the secretary general of Fabi, Lando Maria Sileoni – With today's positive outcome, the time has also come to resolve all the problems of the banking sector”.
