Amsterdam  - Analysts feared another black day on the Dutch stock exchange on Tuesday after the US House of Representatives rejected a rescue plan for the US financial sector.

Speaking on Dutch television early Tuesday, Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos called the US rejection of the rescue plan a "heavy blow."

On Monday, Belgian-Dutch bank and insurance giant Fortis lost 23 per cent of its share value despite the takeover of 49 per cent of the bank by the governments of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Amsterdam  - The drastic drop in share value of Belgian-Dutch bank and insurer giant Fortis on Monday is a "heavy blow," Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos said on Dutch television Monday.

Despite the takeover of 49 per cent of Fortis by the Benelux countries of The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, the bank's share value dropped by 23.6 per cent.

Bos said he was hoping investors will regain confidence once more details are known about the US rescue plan of the banking industry.

Amsterdam - Dutch insurance company Aegon annou

Amsterdam  - Shareholders and analysts were waiting for the stock exchanges to open Monday to see if the 49-per-cent nationalization of Dutch-Belgian insurance and banking giant Fortis would regain the confidence of investors.

Late Sunday night the governments of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg announced they had each purchased 49 per cent of Fortis, paying the bank a total of 11.2 billion euros (16.35 billion dollars).

The Dutch government will take over 49 per cent of the insurance company, for which it will pay some 4 billion euros. The Dutch banking division ABN Amro is to be sold.

Amsterdam - Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos and the president of the Dutch central bank DNB Nout Wellink were in Brussels on Sunday to discuss the future of Belgian-Dutch banking and insurance giant Fortis.

The two were due to give a press conference later Sunday night, Dutch television reported.

On Friday Fortis, which ranks among Europe's top 20 financial institutions, was forced to deny rumours that it was experiencing liquidity problems as its shares took a battering for a fifth day in a row.

Bos and Wellink met with the Belgian government, Fortis management, European Central Bank president Jean Claude Trichet and the European Commissioner for Competition, Neelie Kroes.

Amsterdam - Dutch finance minister Wouter Bos had an emergency meeting with the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) management in Amsterdam to discuss the future of Dutch-Belgian bank and insurance company Fortis, it was reported on Sunday.

Bos was seen leaving the DNB premises early Sunday morning. The meeting had started late Saturday.

On Saturday, Dutch financial daily Het Financieele Dablad reported ABN AMRO Bank Netherlands, which was formally taken over by Fortis in October 2007 but operates as an autonomous banking unit within Fortis until late 2009, may be sold.