WASHINGTON, Oct 14, 2007 (AFP) - Three US banks, Citigroup, Bank of America and JPMorgan, may announce plans to jointly buy mortgage-linked securities, in an attempt to allay fears about the state of the mortgage market, The Financial Times reported in its online edition Sunday.

Citing an unnamed person familiar with the discussions, the British newspaper said US banks collectively were expected to put up credit guarantees worth about 75 billion dollars for the Single-Master Liquidity Enhancement Conduit (SMLEC) -- a fund that would purchase the securities.

BERLIN, Aug 11, 2007 (AFP) - German bank WestLB has a 1.25 billion euro (1.7 billion dollar) exposure to subprime-related securities through subsidiaries, a spokesman said Saturday.

Hans Obermeier called the investment 'relatively limited' and said the securities were highly rated.

Some 98 percent were rated 'A' or better, while 87 percent were rated 'AA' or better, he said.

'The commitment is relatively limited, and its rating is very high, which signals that we do not have to be too concerned,' said Obermeier.

WASHINGTON, Aug 11, 2007 (AFP) - Several US newspapers on Saturday welcomed a decision by the US Federal Reserve and central banks in Japan and the European Union to inject cash into unstable financial markets.

'It was a sound intervention because, in a financial panic, investors who once wildly overvalued assets can undervalue them just as wildly once the speculative fever breaks,' The Washington Post said in an editorial.