Europe's banks need more cash, Moody's warns

LONDON (REUTERS) - Banks in Spain, Italy, Ireland and Britain need to set aside much more money to cover potentially bad loans, credit ratings agency Moody's said, meaning European taxpayers may again be tapped for cash.

European banks have already raised hundreds of billions of euros to cover possible losses from loans that soured in property and financial market crises. Much of the funding has come from governments.

"We believe that many banks, in particular in Spain, Italy, Ireland, and the UK, require material amounts of additional provisions to fully clean up their balance sheets," Moody's said in its global banking outlook for the year.

"Some banks have in recent years delayed full recognition of embedded loan losses, partly by restructuring loans," the report added. "This strategy of buying time (often tolerated by regulators) limits a bank's capacity for new lending and poses risks for creditors of European banks."