GREECE: Alpha Bank 9-month net profit seen down 72%

Alpha Bank, Greece's third-biggest lender, was seen reporting a 72% drop in nine-month net profit, as austerity and recession forced it to ramp up loan-loss provisions and curb lending, a Reuters poll found.
Net profit was seen, on average, at 97.8 mln euros, with estimates in a wide 68.5-135.5 mln range.
Alpha Bank has operations in Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania and Serbia. Its shares are down 56% this year, underperforming the broader Greek market's 41% decline.
The stock trades at about 34 times estimated 2010 earnings, versus a ratio of 12.5 for European peers.