Fortis, a Belgo-Dutch bank overstretched by its role in acquiring ABN AMRO, is now part-owned by the Benelux governments.

ECONOMIST: Global banks

That is far less likely for an institution such as Fortis, a large Belgo-Dutch bank which saw its shares plunge this week.

ECONOMIST: Are European banks insulated from the panic in America?

At the time, other big cross-border banks, such as Fortis, a Benelux bank, and Dexia, a Belgo-Dutch bank, were in deep trouble, and there were growing concerns among European officials that a country could be overwhelmed if it was home to a big international bank that failed.

ECONOMIST: Iceland