Slovene Banks Increase Total Assets by Almost 25 Percent in 2001

Ljubljana, 23 January - The total assets of Slovene banks at the end of 2001 stood at 3,986 billion tolars (17.94 billion euros), which means that banks nominally increased their assets by almost 25 percent year-on-year, unaudited data from the Bank Slovenia show. The number of banks in Slovenia dropped from 25 to 21 last year, which was mainly a result of various mergers and takeovers.