Previous quarterly write downs were offset by gains on hedging, but that hedge has reversed course in this quarter, the company said last month.

FORBES: Lehman Doesn't Need The Money

ADIA's investment will offset expected write-downs on subprime-related investments in the fourth quarter.

ECONOMIST: Sovereign-wealth funds

When you sell the property, the past losses can be used to offset any gains, and, if you have more passive loss write-offs afterward, you can claim them against regular income.

FORBES: Vacation Home Survival Guide

There are demands for a write-off, as well as for Russia's debts to the West to be offset by notional loans made long ago to Soviet satellite states such as Vietnam, or by the energy debts accumulated more recently by nearby countries such as Ukraine.

ECONOMIST: Russian debt: Promises, promises | The