The European Central Bank appointed three administrators earlier in the day to take charge of Carige in an unprecedented effort to save the struggling Liguria-based lender after it failed to raise new capital.

"The government's close attention... is the best guarantee for pursuing and completing capital consolidation and management strengthening at a bank it sees as crucial for relaunching the whole economy of Liguria," the statement said.

(Reporting by Stephen Jewkes, editing by Steve Scherer)