Danish regulator tells Danske Bank to set aside more capital

A Danish regulator has ordered Danske Bank A/S to change how it calculates its solvency and set aside more risk capital, the bank said in a statement late on Monday.

Danske Bank, the country's biggest financial institution, said the order from the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) would result over time in a rise in risk-weighted assets of around 100 billion Danish crowns ($17.89 billion) relative to the figure for the first quarter of this year of 797 billion.

Another consequence would be an increase of 8 billion crowns in the bank's capital requirements to 72 billion crowns from the 64 billion calculated at March 31, it said.

Danske Bank said it will start implementing the new requirements immediately, but did not agree with the FSA and is considering taking the decision to the Company Appeals Board.

"We do not agree with the FSA that the suggested adjustments would give a more accurate picture of Danske Bank's risks," chief financial officer Henrik Ramlau-Hansen said in the statement. "For that reason, we have proposed to the FSA that an independent third party be asked to validate our risk models."

From December 31 this year, the bank will have to change some specific elements of its calculations and increase the risk weighting for corporate exposures, the statement said.

With effect from June 30, the bank will have to set aside additional capital when it calculates what it needs to cover risks deriving from exposure to other institutions, as well as remove a related deduction.

However, the FSA orders would not change Danske Bank's financial outlook for 2013 or its longer term financial targets for 2015, the bank added.

($1 = 5.5886 Danish crowns)

(Reporting by Mette Fraende. Editing by Andre Grenon)