Bank Natsionalny Kredit, one of Russia's biggest commercial banks, will probably close some Moscow branches because they are not profitable, deputy chairman Igor Slovenko said Thursday.


But Slovenko declined to say how many of the bank's 20 Moscow branches could close. "We will probably close some, but this question has not been finally settled," he told said.


He said the bank might comment next week on a decision by some other banks to cut money-market credit lines to the bank, known as Natskredit.


Vostok-Zapad dealer Erlan Imambayev said his bank cut credit lines to Natskredit three months ago.


Rossiisky Kredit money-market dealer Vitaly Cherezov said: "On the part of Natskredit, there were cases of nonpayment [of credits in time]. We closed their limit."


A Central Bank spokesman said the regular reports it received from Natskredit did not suggest any financial or liquidity problems. But he said the Central Bank had heard that some commercial banks had stopped working with Natskredit.


Prime News Agency said Natskredit was registered in 1990.


On June 1 of this year its authorized capital was 149.22 billion rubles ($33.9 million), up from 105.3 billion rubles on Oct. 1, 1994, while its assets rose to 5.39 trillion rubles from 1.40 trillion rubles.


In the first half of this year its pre-tax profit was 6.35 billion rubles. Comparisons are not available.


Natskredit's chairman is Oleg Boiko, previously a senior member of former prime minister Yegor Gaidar's Russia's Choice party.