1.   But Ortiz, with his appearance before bankers Thursday and his request for an IMF standby loan, appears to have largely laid such fears to rest.

2.   Our approach to it will be the same as a standby loan.

3.   Venezuela and the IMF signed a standby loan agreement in July.

4.   Other countries, such as Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Australia, have pledged standby loans which together serve as the second line of defense.

5.   An approved standby loan from the International Monetary Fund will back a new currency to be introduced next month.

6.   Also, a standby loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund is expected.

7.   An IMF delegation has been in Pakistan since last Friday to decide whether to resume paying the emergency standby loan that it had been withholding since June.

8.   Before the Chechen operations began, officials had hoped for the first disbursement of the IMF standby loan in February.

9.   But Mexican Treasury officials said Mexico is not seeking an IMF standby loan as it had in past crises.

10.   But Mexican Treasury officials said the country is not seeking a standby loan of the International Monetary Fund as in past crises.