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Empresas y finanzas

Bernanke: Early response to bank tests encouraging


    JECKYLL ISLAND, Georgia (Reuters) - Government "stress tests" of how 19 major banks would endure a sharp downturn in the economy already appear to be helping banks gain access to private capital, a key element in economic recovery, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Monday.

    "The initial indications are encouraging," he said in text prepared for delivery to a conference organized by the Atlanta Fed.

    "Many of the banks are well ahead in finding private-sector options for increasing their common equity, and several have announced plans for new equity issues," he said.

    (Reporting by Mark Felsenthal and Alister Bull; Editing by Leslie Adler)