MOSCOW, December 1 (RIA Novosti) - The head of Rosbank, one of the largest privately owned banks in Russia, said Thursday that the bank was seeking to acquire all six banks in the OVK Group from Rosbank majority shareholder Interros Holding.

Rosbank Chairman Alexander Popov told a news conference that the move was aimed at improving the effectiveness of Rosbank's structure after it had entered the mass retail market through its business consolidation with OVK banks in July 2005.

He also said a deal to secure a $100-million syndicated loan was postponed until February 2006, with an option for increasing the amount of the loan without changing its one-year term.

In the middle of 2003, Interros Holding acquired the OVK Group with its six banks and the second largest network after Sberbank, the state savings bank.