Insurance company, according to Hong Kong television.

The Bank's chairman David Li is reported as saying the bank was planning to sell its stake in the company because of financial problems.

Hong Kong Cable Television said Mr. Li acknowledged to reporters that Bank of East Asia planned to sell its interest in East Asia Aetna Insurance, and was now talking to the management of East Asia Aetna.

East Asia Aetna is owned in equal shares by Bank of East Asia and Aetna International, a unit of US managed care company Aetna Inc.

Mr. Li was quoted by Cable TV as saying the bank's bad debts had peaked in April and May, and the provisioning in the second half would not be affected even if Guangdong Enterprises (Holdings) Ltd's debt problem had not resolved by year-end.