HVB eyes Czech Zivnobanka

The oldest Czech bank, Zivnostenska banka, is up for sale. The bank is currently owned by German Bankgesellschaft Berlin. One of the potential buyers is Bank Austria, a subsidiary of Germany's HypoVereinsbank. Bank Austria said it would be checking documents on the offer and would then decide whether to submit a bid. Italy's Unicredito Italiano, Germany's Norddeutsche Landesbank, and GE Capital are also reported to be interested in the Czech operation.

Zivnostenska bank posted a profit of 264 million CZK or 7.5 million USD in 2001, up from 245 million crowns in the previous year.