Stockholm  - Swedish banking group Swedbank on Tuesday posted a third-quarter operating loss of 2.58 billion kronor (371 million dollars) - slightly more than analysts had predicted.

A year ago the group posted an operating profit of 3.1 billion kronor.

The downturn in the Baltic countries and Ukraine has continued to affect Swedbank, which saw its third-quarter loan losses increase to 6.1 billion kronor compared to 812 million kronor year-on-year.

About half the loan losses were acquired in the Baltic countries and Ukraine, the bank said.

Swedbank Chief Executive Michael Wolf said in a comment that in the Baltic region "the level of new impaired loans was somewhat lower during the third quarter than in the second quarter."

The group maintained its forecast that "new impaired loans will be lower during the second half of 2009 than the first half."

Swedbank has some 9 million private customers and 600,000 corporate customers at branches in Sweden, the Baltic countries and Ukraine.

Total income in the quarter declined 12 per cent to 8.1 billion kronor.

Last year, Swedbank was the first main banking group to join a voluntary guarantee programme set up by the Swedish government. The group in mid-August announced a plan to raise 15 billion kronor by issuing new shares. (dpa)