Bank clean-up deal may delay lifting of Greek cash controls

Frankfurt

GREEK banks are set to keep broad cash controls in place for months, until fresh money arrives from Europe and with it a sweeping restructuring, officials believe.

Rehabilitating the country's banks poses a difficult question. Should the eurozone take a stake in the lenders, first requiring bondholders and even big depositors to shoulder a loss, or should the bill for fixing the banks instead be added to Greece's debt mountain? Answering this could hold up agreement on a third bailout deal for Greece that negotiators want to conclude within weeks.

The longer it takes, the more critical the banks' condition becomes as a 420 euro (S$632) weekly limit on cash withdrawals chokes the economy and borrowers' ability to repay loans. "The ba…