Keeping options open while seeking to reduce the exposure of the State to further risks has been a touchstone of the bank restructuring policy adopted over the past year. This may indeed have contributed to prolonging the process.
Increasingly it seems evident that placing the continuing parts of the system on a firm footing can best be done through the involvement of new foreign owners who can bring capital, risk control and other management skills. This would effectively short-circuit the risk-reduction process now under way.