All newspapers on Wednesday read about the effects of the economic disturbances that Romanian citizens need to bear as banks increase credit rates.Elsewhere in the news, President Basescu witnesses a personality cult show off during his official visit to Syria.

Romanian banks increase rates for credits in Romanian Ron, even if Romania's Central Bank Governor Mugur Isarescu declares that the banking market is stable, Cotidianul informs. Not only future clients of the Romanian banks will pay higher rates for their national currency credits, but also those who already have a loan in the bank.

Rates will increase at least in BCR, Piraeus Bank and Bancpost's cases. BCR decided to add between 1.05 to 1.25% to the rates it already has for individuals. However, for Piraeus Bank, things are slightly different: bank officials decided to modify the ROBOR, the average rate for credits, from 12.28% to 15.97%. Piraeus officials declared that the bank modifies ROBOR every three months, and thus, clients are protected.

Some of Bancpost's clients were notified that the bank increased their rates and commissions. Officials of the institutions only declared that the credit contract is perfectly legal. One of the newspaper's readers informed that his rate increase by 3% and the administration commission by 0.2%.

Both BRD and Transilvania banks increased their rates for credits in Romanian Ron. BRD increased the rate for the Expresso credit by 0.25%, on average.

In the same vein, Evenimentul Zilei reads about a 20% increase in rates due to external financial causes. The newspaper reads that even though authorities attempt to assure the population that the Romanian banking system is healthy, banks increase rates for credits in the national currency.

In an official notification from Bancpost, a credit owner from Prahov