Switzerland’s lenders are strong enough to cope with possible additional interest-rate increases by the Swiss National Bank, its vice president, Martin Schlegel, told Schweiz am Wochenende. Most lenders have sufficient capital buffers to handle even an abrupt increase in borrowing costs, Schlegel said in an interview published in the weekly newspaper on Saturday. While further monetary tightening could lead to more credit defaults, these remain rare in Switzerland, he added. “Price stability has top priority,” Schlegel said. “At the moment, we don’t see any signs that the interest rate hikes pose a threat to ... (full story)