NNA - European banks are in "extremely solid" shape and their situation is not similar to that of some US lenders, France's central bank chief said Friday amid fears of a crisis in the sector.

"French and European banks are extremely solid," Francois Villeroy de Galhau, who is also a member of the European Central Bank's governing council, told BFM Business television.

"European banks are not in the same situation as certain American banks for a very simple reason which is that they are not subjected to the same rules," he said. -- AFP

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