Excluding its third world loans, the bank showed an improvement in loan quality.

This public agency would buy troubled third world loans at a discount from the banks.

If payments on the third world loans fell short, the governments would have to honor those guarantees.

"But marketing third world loans to nonbank institutions is still very difficult."

Q. Have any banks actually written off third world loans?

That figure alone alarmed the banks, which have recently been setting aside funds to cover potential losses on their third world loans.

Its parent has had mounting losses this year because of troubled third world loans.

Several regional banks have written down large chunks of their third world loans already.

This second phase can be traced to the big third world loans of the late 1970's.

Each owner, therefore, wants to treat the third world loans in a manner most beneficial to itself.