The Lower Austrian Raiffeisen banks

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KREBEG established
to manage
problem loans
Local authorities
Foreign business
growing fast
A new subsidiary, KREBEG, was established to assist the
Lower Austrian Raiffeisen banks with the management
of problem loans. KREBEG cooperates with the affected
banks whilst also looking after coordination with specialist
departments at RLB and with external experts. In 2000
KREBEG assumed responsibility for the collection of nonperforming
loans for 40 clients.
A new expert consultancy product, the “Raiffeisen local
government report”, was added to our range of services for
provincial governments and local authorities. These reports
put local government budgets under the microscope. By
calculating and analysing indicators, and benchmarking
them against average levels, conclusions can be drawn
about authorities’ financial situation. The staff at the new
Municipal Services & Infrastructure Department also assess
the potential for outsourcing, privatization, project finance
and new approaches to running public services (PPP,
contracting, etc.) and make recommendations to councils.
RLB plans to point the way forward towards innovative local
government finance by offering new products in the field of
operating models and energy contracting.
With the Austrian economy
fast becoming internationalized
and europeanized, RLB’s
foreign business recorded
robust growth. In 2000 the
number of foreign transfers
rose by 16 percent, passing
the 300,000 mark. The Bank’s
foreign lending also grew
strongly. In 2000 the volume
of RLB’s syndicated foreign
lending was ATS 1.2 bn.
Growth of
foreign payments
Number, as of 31 Dec.
1996
19 97
1998
1999
2000
182,000
202,000
240,000
264,000
304,881
Corporate Banking
Project finance operations, which have expanded in re-
cent years, registered further growth in 2000. RLB financed
154 projects worth a total of ATS 6.4 bn, and financing
volume was up by 16 percent.
RLB has long traditions as an important partner for the
agricultural purchasing and selling, and processing cooperatives
in the Raiffeisen sector. Our profound understanding
of these businesses and their markets enables us
to provide highly specialized services to the cooperative
societies for which we are the principal bank. In the past
financial year RLB had 250 agricultural customers and provided
a total of ATS 4.5 bn in credit.
Corporate Banking
Project finance
powering ahead
Assisting
agriculture
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