Spanish Bank BBVA Debt Collection Chief Murdered in Home

The head of Spanish banking giant BBVA’s debt collection department was found dead in his home Monday. He had been shot twice in the chest. Spanish police are investigating the incident as a murder.

Andrés Toro Barea was the head of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s (BBVA) debt collection department, according to English-language Spanish news web site thinkSPAIN.com.

Barea was found Monday by a colleague after he failed to show up to work. According to the web site, Barea had recently separated from his wife and was staying at the home where he was found. He was 55.

Police said that there were no signs of forced entry and that nothing appeared to be missing from the home.

BBVA (NYSE: BBV) is the second-largest bank in Spain, with more than $30 billion in annual revenues and 91,000 employees.

ThinkSPAIN noted that Barea had been very busy at work as internal demands for debt collection were skyrocketing recently due to the souring consumer credit market across Europe.