Turkish regulator to finish bank probe report this month

ANKARA Aug 7 (Reuters) - Turkey's competition regulator plans to complete a report this month on an investigation into 12 banks over complaints of anti-competitive behaviour in setting loan rates, Competition Board chairman Nurettin Kaldirimci told Reuters on Tuesday.

The final decision in the investigation will be made at the beginning of 2013, Kaldirimci said.

The board said in November it had launched an investigation into 12 banks over complaints of anti-competitive behaviour and that the investigation might be completed within one year.

The board named the banks as Akbank, Denizbank , Finansbank, HSBC, ING, TEB, Garanti, Halk Bank, Isbank , Vakifbank, Yapi Kredi and state-owned Ziraat Bank.

The Competition Board fined Akbank, Garanti, Isbank, Vakifbank, Yapi Kredi, Denizbank and Finansbank a total 72.3 million lira ($40.68 million) over anti-competitive practices last year.