Spain bank halts evictions after second suicide
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A woman observes a card, candles and flowers laid close to where Amaia Egana leapt to her death on Friday, in Barakaldo. A Spanish savings bank halted all homeowner evictions at the weekend after a ruined client threw herself out of a window to her death, unleashing anti-bank protests in the streets. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
MADRID (AFP) - A Spanish savings bank halted all homeowner evictions at the weekend after a ruined client threw herself out of a window to her death, unleashing anti-bank protests in the streets.
The decision by Kutxabank, a lender in the northern Basque Country, was unprecedented in Spain, where banks and homeowners have been financially crushed by a 2008 property crash.
It was the second suicide linked to the eviction of a financially distressed home owner in 15 days.
Right-leaning Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy promised on Friday to offer proposals to ease the pressure on homeowners on Monday in talks with the opposition Socialists.
