Deposits stable in euro zone periphery in November: ECB

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Consumers and firms' deposits in banks in troubled euro zone member states remained mainly stable in November, European Central Bank data showed, indicating that worst fears of bank collapses or even a euro zone exit are receding.

S&P cuts, affirms Italian banks in sweeping changes

MILAN/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ratings agency Standard & Poor's on Friday downgraded a broad swath of Italian banks, citing worries that the recession in the euro zone's third-largest economy could mean mounting losses for the country's lenders.