Deals to sell Russian subsidiaries of foreign banks have not reached govt commission - dep finance minister

MOSCOW. Oct 18 (Interfax) - Potential deals to sell the Russian subsidiaries of major foreign banks have not yet be brought before the government commission for control over foreign investment, Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseyev told reporters.

"No, there are some little things, but no serious ones," Moiseyev said on the sidelines of the Moscow Financial Forum on Friday when asked about this.

In addition to the approval of the sub-committee of the government commission for control over foreign investment, which includes representatives of the Finance Ministry and Central Bank, changing the owner of a major foreign bank's subsidiary requires approval by the president.

Possible deals for foreign financial groups to exit Russia also face legal hurdles, such as the freezing of shares in court proceedings, like in the case of Raiffeisenbank.