Sweden's National Debt Office said Monday it had taken over investment bank Carnegie after a financial supervisory authority threatened to withdraw the firm's operating licence. The debt office said it had taken over a credit facility to Carnegie of up to five billion kronor ($645 million), given last month by the central bank, and, as of 1402 GMT Monday, had taken over all the shares posted as collateral. “This means that the debt office now controls Carnegie Investment Bank AB and Max Matthiessen Holding AB,” two subsidiaries that are “directly or indirectly responsible for all business operations in the Carnegie group,” it said in a statement. Meanwhile, the European Commission says EU fishermen are continuing to deplete fish stocks in the northeastern Atlantic region. It proposes big cuts in catches in 2009 for almost 30 species of fish.
