YEREVAN, July 12. /ARKA/. ARKA News Agency has released a recurrent press rating of banks for the first quarter 2013, which is topped by the following banks: 1. Ameriabank; 2. Araratbank; 3. VTB Bank (Armenia); 4. Armeconombank and 5. Areximbabnk – Gazprombank Group.

Armenian banks’ total information index (TII) that shows the amount of information, depending on its focus, was 1236 in the second quarter of this year after dropping 70% from 4124.32 recorded at the same period a year before, bur rose 72.2% from the previous quarter’s 717.8.

The aggregate index of five leaders of the rating was 1105 in the 2nd Q 2013 against 2962.8 at the same quarter a year earlier and against 538.3 in the 1st Q 2013. Top five banks in ARKA News Agency’s ranking accounted for 89% of annual information.

Ameriabank, with its 31.9% share, topped the latest ranking. Its TII shed from 789.41 at the second quarter of 2012 to 407.5 at the second quarter of this year, but rose from 394.8 in the first quarter of this year. Ameriabank is followed by Araratbank, whose TII was 317.8 against 28.18 and 10.25 respectively and share was recorded at 25.7%. VTB Bank (Armenia), with 192.6 against 456.15 and 51.2 respectively (15.6%) came third in the ranking, Armeconombank was places fourth in the ranking (115.4 against 33.32 and 2.56 (9.3%) and Areximbank – Gazprombank Group fifth (71.8 against 148.62 and 79.4 (1.7%). The following media outlets were used to collect press reports: Golos Armenii, Respublika Armenia, Orakarg, Novoe Vremya, Delovoy Express, Hayastani Hanrapetutyun, Azg, Aravot, Haykakan Zhamanak, Hayots Ashkhar, Iravunk, Yerkir, 168 Zham, Sobesednil Armenii, Zhokhovurd and Zhamanak newspapers as well as Panarmenian, ARKA, Newsarmenia, Armbanks, Banks, Banker, Arminfo, Panorama and Lragir Internet portals.
The press rating is based on banking activities covered by media outlets, not on financial and economic figures. In drawing up the press rating no advertising information is investigated or analyzed. More detailed information is available in “Press Ratings of Banks” bulletin #02(14), II Q 2013. ---0----