Banco Santander SA's UK Business Could Go Public

Rumors about a possible IPO for Banco Santander SA continue to swirl, even though some officials attempt to deny it's on their plate as a possibility going forward.

While banks in the UK are hoping it's true, with the money on the line to make it happen, there are a lot of questions concerning the company itself which need to be answered before it becomes a reality.

For example, the future capital requirements of the company need to be known, along with what its future expansion plans are.

Banco Santander SA wants to raise the extra capital in order to expand its UK operations by using the money for acquisitions of companies residing there.

They are also looking to build a safety net to protect itself against the increasing number of bad loans it has to deal with in a number of its businesses.

The company's UK unit is valued at about $23 billion at this time.