FACTBOX-UniCredit, Italy's number two bank

Oct 17 (Reuters) - Italy's former colony Libya has taken a 4.23 percent stake in UniCredit SpA (CRDI.MI), Italy's second-biggest bank by market value, and says it will support its rushed plans to boost capital by 6.6 billion euros ($8.89 billion).

UniCredit's shares took a heavy beating over worries about its capital adequacy but since its Oct. 5 announcement on plans to boost funds it has performed broadly in line with the DJ Stoxx index of European banks .SX7P.

Here are some facts about UniCredit:

-- UniCredit is one of Europe's top 10 banks by market value, with a capitalisation of about $39 billion. It is second to Intesa Sanpaolo SpA (ISP.MI) among Italian banks.

-- In a U-turn on Oct. 5 it announced plans to boost capital by 6.6 billion euros. It will ask investors for 3 billion euros in a capital increase and offer shares rather than a cash payout on 2008 results, putting 3.6 billion euros instead in its own coffers.

-- UniCredit on the same day boosted its target for Core Tier I to 6.7 percent at the end of 2008 based on Basel II requirements from its previous aim of 6.2 percent. The figure was 5.7 percent at the end of June.

-- It also slashed earnings per share forecasts for this year to 39 euro cents from around 52 euro cents previously.

-- It is the Italian bank with the most foreign exposure. UniCredit gets about half its revenue from outside Italy and its conservative lending market.

-- UniCredit, whose units include Germany's HVB, is among market leaders in Germany and Austria.

-- UniCredit's share price has dropped about 62 percent since the start of the year, pushing it second to Intesa Sanpaolo among Italian banks. The DJ Stoxx European banks index .SX7P has lost about 52 percent.

-- First-half net profit was 2.9 billion euros on operating income of 14 billion euros. Deposits from customers and debt securities totalled 639.8 billion euros.

-- The bank traces its origins back to 15th century Bologna. The current UniCredit resulted from the merger of nine of Italy's biggest banks in 1998, as well as the purchase of HVB in 2005 and Italy's Capitalia last year.

-- The biggest shareholder is the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Verona Vicenza Belluno e Ancona, at 5 percent.

-- Libya now comes second with its combined 4.23 percent, followed by:

Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino with 3.83 percent

Carimonte Holding with 3.35 percent

Gruppo Allianz with 2.37 percent

Fondi Barclays Global Investors UK Holdings Ltd with 2.01 percent.

-- UniCredit is the biggest shareholder in powerful investment bank Mediobanca SpA (MDBI.MI) with an 8.7 percent stake.

For the latest story on Unicredit, click on [nLH338467]

For a profile of Unicredit's CEO, click on [ID:nL125967]

(Reporting by Ian Simpson and Jo Winterbottom; Editing by Hans Peters)