High-ranking officials of Korea Exchange Bank have pledged to support the company’s push for early integration with Hana Bank, ahead of the scheduled date of 2017, KEB officials said Sunday.
Management at the firm’s headquarters in Seoul posted a joint statement on the company intranet on Aug. 5, claiming that the early merger with Hana Bank was inevitable for the firm’s growth.
Managers of KEB branches nationwide have also vowed to stand by the merger and asked the labor union to actively engage in talks with the management.
Hana signed a contract in 2012 to take over KEB from Lone Star Funds and Export-Import Bank of Korea. KEB is currently pushing to split its credit card division, a move that is seen as a precursor to its merger with Hana SK Card, an affiliate of Hana Financial.
The Financial Services Commission is expected to discuss KEB’s spin-off plan in a regular meeting on Aug. 27.
(monicasuk@heraldcorp.com)
