Banks borrow more, investment firms less from Fed
WASHINGTON -- Commercial banks borrowed more, while investment firms drew less over the past week from the Federal Reserve's emergency lending program.

Hong Kong Stocks Climb; Banks Lead Advance, Developers Climb
Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong stocks rose for the first time in four days, led by banks after HSBC Holdings Plc said it has no plan to sell shares in Bank of Communications Ltd.

China Said to Let Foreign Banks Trade Corporate Bonds (Update1)
Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) -- China will allow foreign banks to trade corporate bonds in the interbank market for the first time, fulfilling a pledge made during talks with the U.S. in December, two people familiar with the matter said.

Australian banks planning samurai bonds: reports
Two Australian banks are planning to issue the first-ever samurai bonds to be guaranteed by the Australian government in the coming weeks, according to published reports.

Banks Pare Fed Loans After Increase for Year-End Cash (Update1)
Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Banks pared borrowing from the Federal Reserve during the past week, reducing their dependence on the central bank after stocking up on cash at the end of 2008, the Fed?s consolidated balance sheet showed today.

Aracruz May Reach Deal With Banks, Goldman Sachs Says (Update2)
Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Aracruz Celulose SA , the world?s largest producer of eucalyptus pulp, may reach an agreement with creditor banks on $2.13 billion of currency-derivatives losses this month, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

S Korea Banks To Give Cos Access To KRW9.1 Trillion Ahead Of Holidays
SEOUL -(Dow Jones)- South Korean banks willprovide businesses cash access totaling KRW9.1 trillion ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays, higher than KRW5 trillion supplied in 2008, the Financial Services Commission said Friday.

Banks move to sell Merckle's assets
LONDON, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Banks in Britain said they are moving quickly to sell the assets of German billionaire Adolf Merckle, who committed suicide Monday.

Banks borrow more, investment firms less from Fed
Commercial banks borrowed more, while investment firms drew less over the past week from the Federal Reserve's emergency lending program. The Fed report, released Thursday, showed commercial banks averaged $87.9 billion in daily borrowing over the week ending...

Canadian Banks May Be Alone in Not Needing Bailouts, Clark Says
Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Canadian banks may stand alone among global lenders in not requiring government assistance to raise capital amid the credit crisis, Toronto-Dominion Bank Chief Executive Officer Edmund Clark said.

Banks cautious in building 2009 business plan
VietNamNet Bridge ? The low profit in 2008, which was equal to only 1/3 of that in 2007 for many banks, has reminded banks that they should not be too ambitious in building their business plans for 2009.

N.J. banks drop 30-year mortgages below 5%
Some New Jersey lenders have joined large banks such as J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. in offering 30-year fixed-rate home loans below 5 percent as average rates fell this week to a new low.

'Banks still have long way to go in managing risks'
MALAYSIAN banks have improved their risk management practices tremendously over the years, but they still have a long way to go, says an expert from KPMG.

U.S. Banks Offer Mortgages Below 5% After Fed Action (Update1)
Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) -- The largest U.S. banks are starting to offer fixed home loans below 5 percent after the government began buying mortgage securities to bolster the housing market.

Banks rescue suicide billionaire's interests
Two days after the suicide of one of Germany's richest men -- who was apparently despondent over financial troubles -- banks agreed to rescue his business holdings, the companies said in a statement.

Japan lending more cash to banks
The Japanese central bank is providing banks with emergency loans in a new bid to stimulate its worsening economy.

Banks react to interest rate cut
Banks in Northern Ireland start to react to the latest cut in interest rates announced by the Bank of England.

Banks adopt 48 industrial clusters to improve credit flow
To improve the flow of credit to industrial clusters and facilitate their all round development, 15 banks operating in Orissa including the public sector State Bank of India (SBI) and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) have adopted 48 clusters.

RBI seeks data from banks with exposure to Satyam
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sought data from banks, which have direct or indirect loan and equity exposure to Satyam Computer Services and its related companies or subsidiaries.

Banks uneasy over staff lay-off
DOHA: Banks here remain liquid and face no immediate threat from the global financial crisis, but reports of staff lay-offs have them increasingly worried since many of those being retrenched have to pay back personal loans.