OREANDA-NEWS. January 17, 2012. The bankruptcy administrator is considering the disposal of some of its businesses and subsidiaries, reported the press-centre of Snoras.

During the Temporary Administration work was undertaken to assess the possibilities for corporate finance and M&A options for the Bank.  This work has been taken on by the Bankruptcy Administrator to assess the possibility of disposals of some of its businesses and subsidiaries, in particular the full retail banking platform, its consumer finance business, Snoro Lizingas, and the investment and wealth management business, Finasta. Significant work has been undertaken to assess the options and to progress the sale packages and opportunities.

The management team have been contacted over 80 individual investors, ranging from local / regional investors to global banks and private equity investors. As of this date, a significant number of investors have expressed interest in the assets of Snoras and the bankruptcy administrator is in further discussions with these potential purchasers.

We are currently marketing the Finasta subsidiary and the former Snoras banking platform and the processes have been initiated. The latter includes the Snoro Lizingas entity and the distribution network across the country, including all branches, ATMs, software, equipment, contracts and human capital.

Available for sale are parts of the legacy AB Bank Snoras retail banking platform, an institution that had, prior to bankruptcy, the largest retail network in Lithuania with over 250 branches and outlets, had approximately ~LTL 6bn in customer deposits and ran a fully fledged payments processing business. An enthusiastic management team and an educated employee base are keen on re-establishing the business.

Snoro Lizingas subsidiary carries out the consumer finance and leasing business of Bank Snoras. This business is operating normally and not affected directly by the bankruptcy of its parent. Snoro Lizingas is one of the leading players in point of sale consumer finance financing in Lithuania.

Finasta group of subsidiaries includes the asset management, markets and corporate banking businesses. It is one of the main players in the asset management industry in Lithuania and Latvia. This business is operating normally and not affected directly by the bankruptcy of its parent. Finasta is available for a swift separation, with full support from an established management team.

The sales processes for both assets have started, with non-binding offers due by 29 January. We hope to be in a position to sign  preferred bidders in the first week of February, following which access to data rooms and management will be granted. We expect to sign binding agreements in March 2012.

We cannot currently specify exactly the sale of other Snoras' assets, but these processes will likely be initiated at the end of Q1 2012 and run through Q2 2012.

Further updates on sales will be provided as the process progresses.