31.   Malaysian banks needed more time to prepare for competition, he said.

32.   Malaysian shares close higher, boosted by a plan to merge Malaysian banks.

33.   Mr S. Rajagopal Director of the Correspondent Banking Department said the euro presents an opportunity for Malaysian banks to reduce costs.

34.   One analyst said the new ratings for Malaysian banks, in fact, indicate that they are fundamentally still strong compared with the banks in neighbouring countries.

35.   Regulation A number of Malaysian banks today are owned by private individuals or corporations, but many have been listed on the KLSE so ownership is public.

36.   The agency said the immediate risk for Malaysian banks is exposure to share related lending.

37.   The central bank did not give details of the troubles, but like many other Malaysian banks, Bank Bumiputra is believed to be burdened by bad loans.

38.   The court heard that Tan could not be made criminally bankrupt because his exact debt to the Malaysian bank could not be calculated.

39.   The existing level of capitalisation in Malaysian banks is too small towithstand shock waves from global financial markets.

40.   The depreciating ringgit and plunge in the KLSE haveadversely affected the balance sheets of many smaller Malaysian banks.