MADRID (Reuters) - The Bank of Spain will subject 16 Spanish lenders to its own stress tests this month ahead of European Central Bank tests later this year, the Cinco Dias newspaper reported, citing financial sources.
The central bank will conduct the studies to better prepare Spain's lenders for what are expected to be rigorous health checks of the industry in Europe before the ECB takes over as the euro zone's bank supervisor in November, the newspaper said.
Spain's banks have been through a major restructuring process, with some forced to take billions of euros in aid, since a burst property bubble in 2008 sent the economy in to a tailspin from which it is only just beginning to emerge.
Some of the country's lenders fear that excessively harsh economic scenarios could be used in assessing their strength.
The Bank of Spain was not immediately available for comment on the report.
(Reporting by Paul Day; editing by Jason Neely)