Greek Post Bank plans 526 mln euro rights issue

ATHENS, April 22 (Reuters) - Shareholders of Greece's state-controlled Post Bank, the country's seventh-largest lender, approved on Wednesday plans for a rights issue of up to 526 million euros ($679.7 million) to boost its capital.

The lender plans to issue up to 142 million new shares, the company said in a statement. Existing shareholders will get one new share for every one held.

Post Bank GSPr.AT in March reported a 93 percent fall in its annual net 2008 profit to 2.85 million euros, hurt by loan-loss provisions and trading losses.

The bank got in January shareholders' approval for a 225 million euro capital increase via the sale of preferred shares to the government, as part of a state-backed 28-billion-euro support package for banks.