MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish bank Santander (>> Banco Santander, S.A.) on Friday said it was not considering any potential acquisition of Italian lender Banca Montei dei Paschi di Siena (>> Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA) following press reports mentioning such a possibility earlier in the day. "Banco Santander denies any interest in buying Monte dei Paschi," a spokeswoman for the bank told Reuters. Shares in Monte dei Paschi and other Italian banks plunged earlier this week on concerns over their financial strength. In a bid to reassure investors, the lender said on Friday it would publish preliminary full-year results on Jan. 28 ahead of a Feb. 5 scheduled release. (Reporting by Jesus Aguado, editing by Julien Toyer)
Santander has said that it is not considering any potential move to acquire Banca Monte di ##stillery via ##bility , despite some reports suggesting otherwise . Italian banks are currently attempting to find solutions for the huge amount of bad loans they currently offer , with some seeking merger or acquisition partners . Reports have suggested that a wave of merger and acquisition efforts could help alleviate some of the banks ' critical concerns .