SIENA, Italy, Feb 8 (Reuters) – Monte dei Paschi struck a
last-minute, secret deal with Bank of New York that allowed the
Italian bank to mislead authorities and smoothed through its
acquisition of rival Antonveneta, according to a report by the
financial police in Italy.

A deepening fraud and bribery scandal at the country’s third
largest bank has caused a political outcry ahead of a
parliamentary election on Feb. 24-25, with the Bank of Italy
under fire over suspected financial irregularities at the Tuscan
institution.

SIENA, Italy (Reuters) – Italy’s Monte dei Paschi (BMPS.MI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said there were no more derivatives losses beyond the 730 million euros ($988 million) it has disclosed, which have rattled financial markets and become a campaign issue ahead of parliamentary elections.

The derivative trades are at the heart of a fraud probe into former management of the world’s oldest bank, raising doubts about the effectiveness of banking supervisors, including European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, who was Bank of Italy governor from 2006 to 2011, and the role of politicians, who agreed a state bailout for the lender.

SIENA, Italy (Reuters) – Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Italy’s third biggest lender, said on Wednesday losses linked to three problematic derivative trades totalled 730 million euros ($988.3 million) as it sought to draw a line under a scandal over risky financial transactions.

After a six-hour board meeting, the bank said in a statement that the losses, stemming from trades made between 2006-09, would weigh on its net assets in 2012 and were calculated before any possible fiscal effect.

SIENA, Italy (Reuters) – Board members at Monte dei Paschi <BMPS.MI > are expected to say on Wednesday that Italy’s third largest bank may have lost up to 1 billion euros on opaque derivatives trades, far higher than the initial estimate.

The trades are at the centre of a probe into former management of the bank which has deepened questions about the role of banking supervisors and the influence of local politicians ahead of Feb 24-25 parliamentary elections.

SIENA, Italy (Reuters) – Monte dei Paschi <BMPS.MI > was expected to raise its estimate for the loss on derivatives trades that recently came to light and are now at the center of an investigation against former executives at Italy’s third-biggest bank.

A source close to the situation said the final loss would be announced Wednesday and should be higher than a preliminary estimate from October of around 720 million euros ($974 million).

SIENA, Italy, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Monte dei Paschi should
reveal on Wednesday at least 720 million euros of losses linked
to three 2006-09 derivatives trades that only recently came to
light and are now at the centre of an investigation against
former executives at Italy’s No. 3 bank.

A source close to the situation said the final loss should
be higher than a preliminary loss estimate from October of
around 720 million euros ($974 million).

MILAN/SIENA, Feb 1 (Reuters) – The charitable foundation
that controls Italy’s scandal-hit Monte dei Paschi
bank took on excessive debt and entered into risky derivative
trades with the tacit consent of the Treasury, sources with
direct knowledge of the situation said.

Not-for-profit foundations like Monte dei Paschi’s are major
stakeholders in all of Italy’s main banks and are meant to use
their dividends for social and cultural projects.

SIENA, Italy (Reuters) – The secret document at the heart of the Monte dei Paschi banking scandal lay for months in a concealed safe in a 14th century Tuscan palace.

Chief Executive Fabrizio Viola said he learnt about the safe’s contents only last October, a full 10 months after he had been called in to sort out Italy’s third biggest bank.

SIENA, Italy, Jan 30 (Reuters) – Prosecutors are
investigating the former management of Italy’s troubled Monte
dei Paschi bank for bribery and fraud, judicial
sources said on Wednesday, as pressure grew on the Bank of Italy
and bourse watchdog Consob.

With parliamentary elections less than a month away, the
scandal at Italy’s third-largest bank has deepened with
questions about the role of banking supervisors and the
influence of local politicians.

SIENA, Italy, Jan 30 (Reuters) – The secret document at the
heart of the Monte dei Paschi banking scandal lay for months in
a concealed safe in a 14th century Tuscan palace.

Chief Executive Fabrizio Viola said he learnt about the
safe’s contents only last October, a full 10 months after he had
been called in to sort out Italy’s third biggest bank.