MILAN (Reuters) - Shares in Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MI:BMPS) were suspended from trading on Tuesday after hitting a new all-time low, with Italian banking shares hit by a sell-off as an expected wave of consolidation has so far failed to materialise.
By 1356 GMT, the DJ Stoxx index of European banks (SX7P) lost 2.4 percent.
With a 5.35 percent drop ahead of the trading suspension, Monte dei Paschi is the worst performer on Italy's blue-chip stock index (FTMIB). Banca Popolare dell'Emilia Romagna (MI:EMII) follows with a 3.7 percent drop.
Traders mention concerns about Italian banks as a consolidation process aimed at strengthening a sector weakened by a three-year recession has stalled.