Bank Forum to Attract USD 75 mln Syndicated Loan

Bank Forum (FORM: BUY)announced its plans to attract a USD 75 mln syndicated loan at LIBOR +1.6% in 2Q08, reported Interfax. The lead managers are BayernLB, Raiffeisen Zentralbank, Fortis. Alexander Viktorov: Following completion of its acquisition by Commerzbank, Bank Forum is increasing its share of cheaper foreign debt. We view this as an important advantage for Forum as many local banks face prohibitive challenges in tapping external markets and steadily rising costs of domestic funds.