Riga - Parex Banka, the Latvian bank recently nationalized by the government of the Baltic state, stepped up its attempts to balance its books Monday by issuing an appeal to bondholders to negotiate new terms for their investments.

After running into liquidity problems, Parex is already trying to renegotiate terms on two large syndicated loans worth 984 million dollars that fall due next year.

Paris - French bank Societe Generale said Monday it had suffered only "negligible" losses in the 50-billion-dollar securities fraud allegedly engineered by a leading Wall Street broker.

In a statement the bank said its exposure to Madoff Investment Securities LLC, and the so-called Ponzi scheme run by its head, Bernard L Madoff, was "below 10 million euros" (13.46 million dollars).

Dublin  - In a move aimed at restoring confidence in the banking system and encouraging lending, Ireland's government on Sunday announced a 10-billion-euro (13.4-billion-dollar) rescue plan for the country's banks amid the deepening global financial crisis.

The government said it would use money from the 18.7-billion-euro state pension fund to invest and also wants existing shareholders and private investors to support a recapitalization.

London  - Spanish banking giant Santander is to axe 1,900 jobs in its businesses in Britain next year, the company announced Friday.

New Delhi, Dec 12 : India will get 14 billion dollars from the World Bank over the next three years to facilitate infrastructure development projects and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

The World Bank Group’s new Country Strategy for India, discussed by the Institution’s board, envisages a total proposed lending program of 14 billion dollars for the next three years, the World Bank said in a statement.

The bulk loan offered to India is for developing its infrastructure projects and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

London - Ailing British lender Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) Friday reported an increase in write-downs to 8 billion pounds (12 billion dollars) for the first 11 months of 2008.

The news sent shockwaves through the banking sector, causing HBOS shares to plummet by 16 per cent on the London stock market. Shares of Lloyds TSB, which is in the process of taking over HBOS, fell by 17 per cent.

The scale of the write-downs, coupled with a warning of more to come, was revealed as shareholders were due to vote Friday on the mammoth merger.