Banks' emergency Fed borrowing falls
Commercial banks have borrowed less from the Fed in the past week, but the central bank is lending more to investment firms.

Banks face pressure on rate cut
MPs pressure banks to pass on 1% cut in interest rates to customers as HBOS offers only 0.25%.

U.S. to Speed Investment From China Banks, State Fund (Update2)
Dec. 5 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. agreed to speed up approvals for Chinese financial institutions seeking to invest in the country, as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson tries to find ways to unlock frozen credit markets and stabilize banks.

Lithuanian Banks to See Increase in Bad Loans, Moody?s Says
Dec. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Lithuanian banks are likely to suffer from an increase in bad loans, lower profitability and worsening asset quality over the next year as economic growth declines, Moody?s said.

Asian Funding Costs Rise as Banks Hoard Cash Before Year-End
Dec. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Asian financing costs advanced this week, with Japanese loan rates rising to the highest in a decade and South Korean lenders paying close to a record to borrow U.S. dollars as banks hold onto cash to meet end-of-year funding needs.

Pol rips banks over holiday foreclosures
Shame on you, Subprime Scrooges. Ten banks that threaten to take away New Yorkers' homes during the holidays - after receiving $122 billion in taxpayers' bailout dough - got a dressing-down Thursday from state Sen. Jeff Klein (D-Bronx).

British banks tentative on mortgage plan
LONDON, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Several British banks Thursday contradicted the government's claim that they had endorsed Prime Minister Gordon Brown's mortgage rescue plan.

Hong Kong Home Prices May Fall More as Banks Tighten Lending
Dec. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong home prices, already down almost a quarter from their five-year high in March, may drop further as banks tighten mortgage lending on concern rising unemployment may hurt buyers' ability to repay.

Australian Funding Costs Rise as Banks Hoard Cash at Year-End
Dec. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Australian funding costs rose for a third day to the highest in a week as banks held on to cash to meet year-end funding needs. The difference between the rate Australian banks charge each other for three-month loans and the overnight swap rate, a measure of funding scarcity, jumped 12 basis points to 77.3 basis points in Sydney.

3 European central banks slash rates
Three European central banks slashed key interest rates Thursday in attempts to stem the recession.

China Banks' Bad Loans Likely To Rise In 2009 - State Media
SHANGHAI (AFP)--A Bank of China official warned the number of bad loans on commercial banks' books could rise in 2009 as they face government pressure to lend more to spur economic growth, state media reported Friday.

Banks urged to pass on historic cut
Britain's bailed-out high street banks risked the wrath of the government last night after they refused to pass on to all their mortgage customers the full benefits of the Bank of England's decision to cut borrowing costs to the lowest level since 1951. Despite joint pressure from Gordon Brown and the chancellor Alistair Darling to match the one percentage point reduction in the bank rate ...

Banks borrow less, investment firms borrow more
Commercial banks borrowed slightly less from the Federal Reserve's emergency lending program over the past week, while investment firms stepped up their loans.

World business in brief: Three central banks in Europe sharply cut rates
Trying to shore up their economies in the face of a worsening economic crisis, three central banks in Europe sharply cut their benchmark rates on Thursday.

Mexican Senate approves tougher consumer credit rules for banks
MEXICO CITY - Mexico's Senate has approved stricter consumer credit rules, banning lending practices considered predatory. The bill bans banks from unilaterally issuing preapproved credit cards and raising credit limits without a client's consent.

Real Estate Pain on Tap for Smaller Banks
Commercial real estate delinquency rates are spiking hard for some smaller regional banks. The second in a two-part look at a burgeoning trouble spot for banks.

Pressure mounting on banks
It is a day after the record interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank, and already many are asking "so where is mine?" The pressure is now mounting on banks to pass on as much of the benefits as they can to both personal and business clients.

Banks urged to pass on rate cut
Pressure is mounting on banks to pass on the full benefits of the interest rate cut. The Government is urging all banks and building societies to help their customers after only a handful of lenders said they would pass on Thursday's 1 per cent reduction in full.

Chinese banks' bad loans likely to rise in 2009: state media
A Bank of China official warned the number of bad loans on commercial banks' books could rise in 2009 as they face government pressure to lend more to spur economic growth, according to state media.

Banks move to match interest cut
Northern Ireland's 'big four' banks say they will be matching the latest cut in interest rates by the Bank of England.