Businessweek

National Bank of Greece S.A. provides financial services in Greece. The company also operates in Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Albania, Cyprus and FYROM (Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia). It offers its customers a range of integrated financial services, including corporate and investment banking; retail banking (including mortgage lending); leasing and factoring; stock brokerage, asset management and venture capital; insurance; and real estate, hotel and consulting services. The company is supported by eight non-Greek banking subsidiaries: Finansbank A.S. (Finansbank), United Bulgarian Bank AD—Sofia (UBB), Vojvodjanska Banka A.D. Novi Sad (Vojvodjanska), Banca Romaneasca S.A. (Banca Romaneasca), Stopanska Banka A.D.—Skopje (Stopanska Banka), the National Bank of Greece (Cyprus) Ltd. (NBG Cyprus), South African Bank of Athens Ltd. (SABA) and NBG Bank (Malta) Ltd. (NBG Malta). Banking Activities in Greece Banking activities in Greece includes the company’s domestic operations, Ethniki Leasing S.A. (Ethniki Leasing) and Ethniki Factors S.A. (Ethniki Factors). As of December 31, 2011, the company operated in Greece through 539 branches, 1 private banking unit, 1 unit for financial institutions and 7 specialized banking units that deal exclusively with troubled and non-performing loans. As of December 31, 2011, the company had 1,398 ATMs. The company also has introduced ‘i-bank’, a Web-based portal which allows its clients to select the place and method to transact with it in order to achieve immediate service. Savings and Investment Products Savings and investment products of the company are offered both in euro and in other currencies. These products include repurchase agreements between the company and its clients (backed by Greek government bonds), Greek government bonds from its proprietary portfolio, capital guaranteed principal products and a range of mutual funds and unit trust products provided by NBG Asset Management Mutual Funds S.A. (NBG Asset Management). Payment Services: The company offers payment services to its clients participating in all local interbank payment channels. Retail Banking: All of its retail banking activities in Greece are conducted by the company. The company offers retail customers different types of deposit and investment products, as well as a range of traditional services and products. Consumer Lending Products: Consumer and credit card portfolio restructuring products are addressed mainly to customers with at least 1 consumer loan or credit card in delinquency for at least 90 days. The maturity of these restructured products varies from 10 to 20 years. Small Business Lending Unit (SBL Unit) The Small Business Lending Unit in Greece manages the extension of credit to small businesses with annual turnover of up to EUR 2.5 million. Corporate and Investment Banking The company's commercial loan portfolio in Greece comprises approximately 58 thousand corporate clients. It offers corporate clients a range of products and services, including financial and investment advisory services, deposit accounts, loans denominated in euro and other currencies, foreign exchange services, insurance products, custody arrangements and trade finance services. The company offers: corporate accounts with overdraft facilities; foreign currency loans; variable rate loans; and currency swaps and options (mostly euro-related) for corporate customers. Shipping Finance: The company’s shipping finance activities are carried out through its Piraeus-based operation. Its conventional shipping finance and syndicated loan portfolio consists of first-tier shipping groups involved in diversified shipping activities. Project Finance: The company's project finance loan portfolio includes loans to large infrastructure projects both in Greece and abroad (western Europe, U.K., and U.S.A.). Leasing: The company, through its subsidiary, Ethniki Leasing, engages in leasing land and buildings, machinery, transport equipment, furniture and appliances, computers and communications equipment. Factoring: The company has been active in the provision of factoring services. In 2009, Ethnik