농협은행 방카슈랑스 사업부의 비인가 영업행위가 최근 금융당국에 적발됐다.15일 금융감독원에 따르면 이 은행 36개 지점의 보험모집 종사자 37명은 총 796건의 부당대출을 취급한 혐의를 받고 있다. 지난해 불과 두 달 남짓한 기간에 이들이 당국 몰래 승인해 준 은행 여신은 414억원에 달했다.보험업법 제91조 등에 의하면 금융기관 보험대리점에서 종사하는 사람은 대출 등 불공정 모집의 우려가 있는 상품판매를 할 수 없다.농협은행은 또 총 6천5백억원 이상의 부동산개발금융 대출을 승인했다가 3천4백여억원의 손실을 입었다. 미흡한 여신심사 등으로 인한 부실채권이다.금감원은 농협중앙회에 대한 농협은행의 특혜 여신도 적발했다. 각종 심사 및 산출 절차를 생략한 채 계열사 농협중앙회의 대출요청액 6조3천억원을 전액 승인한 혐의다.지난 2012년 3월 농협중앙회에 대한 적정한 대출금리는 당초 연 5.79%로 산출됐었다. 그러나 가산금리 등을 제외시켜 5.27%로 감면해 준 것으로 드러났다.　(코

금융감독원은 최근 농협은행을 종합 검사해 취급 제한 파생상품 거래로 인한 손실, 부당한 연대보증 요구 등을 적발하고 기관주의를 내렸다고 11일 밝혔다.농협은행은 이번 검사에서 시중은행이라고 보기 어려울 정도로 허술함을 드러냈다.농협은행 파생상품 딜러는 2011년에 은행 내규에서 취급을 제한한 파생상품을 182회 거래해 1천900만달러(218억원)의 손실을 초래했다. 2010년부터 2011년에는 무려 323회에 걸쳐 해외금리선물 등 파생상품의 거래 조건을 전산시스템에 허위로 입력하기도 했다.해외 부동산펀드 투자도 엉망이었다.2007년부터 2009년까지 농협은행은 해외 부동산펀드에 3천300만달러(389억원) 투자 시 전결 규정을 위반해 투자 결정을 했다가 2천830만달러(333억원)의 손해를 봤다.　<관련 영문뉴스>NongHyup Bank sanctioned for incurring W55b lossFinancial regulators revealed that NongHyup Bank

Officials say two more bodies were discovered overnight after a runaway train carrying crude oil derailed in eastern Quebec, igniting explosions and fires that destroyed a town's center. That brings the confirmed death toll to three.Quebec provincial police lieutenant Michel Brunet said Sunday says that fires are preventing rescuers from reaching parts of the train on fire, and that some of the other people who are missing are likely dead.Police are still not saying how many other people are mis

Some residents warily eyed the driverless "ghost train" as it rushed through the Quebec countryside. The train derailed, crashed into this small town, engulfing the downtown area in flames.Now scores of people -- perhaps as many as 80 -- are missing.Rescuers cautiously entered the charred debris Sunday, more than 24 hours after the spectacular crash that saw flames shoot into the sky and burn into the night.The accident and resulting huge fireball forced 2,000 people from their homes. Witnesses

Venezuela's foreign minister says his country has not yet been in contact with NSA leaker Edward Snowden, despite its offer of asylum.Elias Jaua says he expects to consult on Monday with Russian officials. Snowden is believed to be in the transit area of a Moscow airport.Jaua's comments came Saturday during a Caribbean summit in Trinidad and Tobago. They were distributed by his office.President Nicolas Maduro announced Friday that he would grant asylum to Snowden. Bolivia and Nicaragua have said

Israel's Cabinet has approved a plan that would gradually end a contentious system that has granted automatic draft exemptions to Jewish ultra-Orthodox seminary students.Under a longstanding system, thousands of young men are allowed to skip compulsory military service to pursue religious studies. This has caused widespread resentment among secular Jewish Israelis.The new system, which needs parliamentary approval, would reduce the number of exemptions and require ultra-Orthodox men to register

Kim Jong-shin, former chief of the state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., was put behind bars Sunday on charges of taking 100 million won in bribes from one of the company’s contractors.Busan District Court on the day issued an arrest warrant for Kim.While Kim resigned a year ago before his term expired amid simmering criticism over power outages, the prosecution recently expanded its investigation into irregularities involving a parts supplier to KHNP’s nuclear plants.Operations had been

Chinese citizens mourned the deaths of two teenage girls killed after a South Korean-owned passenger jet crashed at San Francisco airport Sunday as survivors recounted harrowing details of their tragic flight.Chinese nationals made up 141 of the 291 passengers aboard the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 which burst into flames after it landed short of the runway, injuring 182.The two dead were Chinese girls born in 1996 and 1997, state broadcaster CCTV said.As of Sunday afternoon the Chinese consulate

Ecuador on Thursday waived preferential rights granted under a trade agreement with the United States, in a show of independence as it considers asylum for fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden."Ecuador unilaterally and irrevocably renounces these preferential customs tariff rights," Communications Minister Fernando Alvarado, said, reading from a government statement."Ecuador does not accept pressure or threats from anyone, and does not trade on principles or make them contingent on com

South African President Jacob Zuma said Thursday that the condition of ailing anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela had improved overnight and was now critical but stable."He is much better today than he was when I saw him last night. The medical team continues to do a sterling job," Zuma said in a statement.After visiting Mandela for a second time in 24 hours, Zuma urged SouthAfricans to pray for the 94-year-old former president.Zuma "was informed by the medical team that Madiba's condition has im

Extensive construction activities at Iran's Parchin military base may have removed all evidence of alleged nuclear weapons research, the head of the UN atomic agency said Monday."As our verification capacity has been negatively impacted by extensive activities (at Parchin), it may no longer be possible to find anything even if we are given access," Yukiya Amano of the International Atomic Energy Agency told reporters in Vienna.He said however that agency inspectors still wanted to visit the base

South Korea's financial support for U.S. troops here is undervalued in Washington's estimates considering other benefits and tax breaks, a left-wing civic group claimed Monday, as a tough negotiation lies ahead amid growing pressure to raise Seoul's share.The Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea said Seoul paid 65.2 percent of U.S. Forces Korea's upkeep in 2010, which is much higher than Washington's estimate of 42 percent of the total budget, citing analysis of reports by governments

Germany is setting up a loan program for struggling small and medium-sized firms in Spain to boost growth and jobs in the crisis-hit southern European economy, according to a document obtained Monday.Germany's state-owned KfW bank will provide about 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) at low interest rates to its Spanish counterpart, which will be probably able to lend out several times that amount in cheap loans to local firms.The move is aimed at easing a credit crunch that is afflicting much of so

Police in the Indian city of Kolkata said Monday they had arrested a local businessman suspected of drugging and raping a 21-year-old Irish charity worker after her birthday party.The woman filed a police case on Saturday, saying she was assaulted in a semi-conscious state after drinking a cup of tea at the 25-year-old suspect's home following a night out."We suspect the accused laced the tea with drugs and raped the Irish woman," police officer Subrata Dey told AFP from the eastern city.The Iri

South Korea had indeed asked China not to repatriate a group of nine young North Korean defectors last week, a senior Seoul official said Monday in an apparent rebuttal to a Chinese claim that no party had requested cooperation regarding the defectors.The foreign ministry official made the remarks as the ministry has come under intense scrutiny for not taking proper action to help the North Koreans seeking asylum in South Korea.The nine North Koreans -- seven boys and two girls – were rounded up

Two-time world figure skating champion Kim Yu-na has been invited to two Grand Prix events hosted by the International Skating Union for next season, the sport's international governing body announced Monday.Kim, who won her second career world title in March in Canada, has been invited to compete at Skate Canada from Oct. 25-27 and at the Trophee Bompard in Paris from Nov. 15-17, as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series.The ISU organizes six Grand Prix events each fall and invites

금융감독원이 최근 BNP파리바은행 서울지점의 부당영업 행위에 대한 조사에 착수한 것으로 26일 확인됐다.이 은행의 국내지점은 당국으로부터 인가를 받지 않은 상태에서 투자은행 업무를 해왔던 것으로 전해졌다.국내법 및 감독규정은 증권 영역에 속하는 투자은행 업무와 일반은행업 사이의 방화벽 설치를 의무화하고 있다.금융권의 고위 관계자는 “이를 무시한 비인가 영업은 법 위반에 속할 수 있다”며 “조사가 끝나봐야 알겠지만 금감원 제재는 불가피할 것”이라고 내다봤다.금융투자업계에 따르면 BNP파리바 외에 또다른 외국계은행의 국내지점도 당국에 적발됐다. 이 은행 역시 업종간 겸업을 승인없이 영위한 혐의를 받고 있다.(코리아헤럴드 / 정주원 기자)　　<관련 영문기사>BNP Paribas under probe for irregular business in SeoulBy Chung Joo-wonFinancial regulators launched an investigation into the Kore

FC Seoul recovered from going a goal down and missing a penalty to beat Beijing Guoan 3-1 and reach the AFC Champions League quarter-finals in a dramatic last-16 match which saw three red cards on Tuesday.The South Korean champions were stunned by an early strike by Freddie Kanoute, and then watched Serbian dangerman Dejan Damjanovic miss from the spot, before three goals in the final half-hour put them through to the last eight.Ex-Premier League marksman Kanoute was the first to receive his mar

Authorities are investigating rice mills in southern China following tests that found almost half of the staple grain in one of the country's largest cities was contaminated with a toxic metal.The mills in Hunan province's Youxian county were ordered to suspend business and recall their products after samples showed excessive levels of cadmium, according to an official notice issued Tuesday by the county government.It said the mills had been operating legally and sourced their rice from local fa

Senators examining the case of unwarranted scrutiny of conservative groups that sought tax exempt status will hear for the first time on Tuesday from the man who was in charge of the U.S. tax collection agency when it singled out the groups, one of three potentially damaging issues consuming the first months of President Barack Obama's second term.Members of the Senate Finance Committee will be asking former Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Douglas Shulman what he knew about the conduct of