1.   Remember the savings and loan mess?

2.   Since the savings and loan mess developed a decade ago, the issues the committee has dealt with have mostly involved unpleasant choices.

3.   The government formed the RTC to clean up the savings and loan mess, but Lewis said her supervisors tried to hamper her investigation.

4.   Untold billions later, the savings and loan mess is still not fully resolved.

5.   Obuchi is hoping to cite the compromise deal as evidence Japan is making progress in cleaning up its bad loan mess when he confers with Clinton Tuesday.

6.   Obuchi wanted to present a concrete plan to dispel criticism in the United States that Japan is moving slowly in cleaning up its bad loan mess.

7.   The bad loan mess is part of the general malaise in the Japanese economy.

8.   The growth estimate assumes the government will fix the bad loan mess at Japanese banks soon and carry out planned changes in the tax and pension systems.

9.   The scenario has frightened investors and increased pressure on Koizumi to agree to another government-backed effort to clean up the bad loan mess.

10.   Critics say Hashimoto is partly responsible for the housing loan mess which dates back to his period as finance minister.