BEA executive director Joseph Pang Yuk-wing flatly denied there was any truth to the "malicious rumours" and said the police were investigating.
Perhaps the originators of the text messages sought to lower the bank’s share price, which in effect closed down by 6.85 per cent. Today however it rebounded by 3 per cent.
According to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the BEA, which is the territory’s fifth largest bank, was financially sound and had sufficient funds to cope with the needs of its customers.
Last week the bank re-issued its first-half results to account for a loss of about US$ 12 million.
The BEA suffered losses as a result of the US mortgage crisis.