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** Europe's banks face at least 15 major litigation issues thatcould result in fines of more than 100 billion euros ($129billion), analysts at Berenberg estimate.** Potential fines and litigation are one of the majoruncertainties facing banks, and could hamper dividend payouts ortrigger capital raising by lenders who lack suitable buffers,Berenberg analyst James Chappell says in a note. ** Chappell estimates there are 63 potential fine situationsoutstanding for individual banks, of which 27 have beenpartially settled. The biggest risks are from investigationsinto possible foreign exchange rigging, Libor manipulation andU.S. mortgage mis-selling.** He says Barclays and Credit Suisse are themost vulnerable banks to the impact of potential adverse fines,while UBS and HSBC appear to have biggerbuffers than peers.** The STOXX European bank sector nudges 0.4 percenthigher to 201.8 points by 0720 GMT.
rm://steve.slater.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net
