The BDDK head complained that some bank managers were spreading rumors among themselves that several banks will collapse under the conditions of the ongoing global financial crisis.

The TBB met with BDDK officials as part of the TBB's official visits in Ankara, which it organized to " share the joy of celebrating the 50th anniversary of its foundation." TBB Chairman Ersin Özince and other board members first met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Bilgin and Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, president of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB).

The group also met with Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers of State Nazım Ekren and Hayati Yazıcı, Ministers of State Kürşad Tüzmen and Mehmet Şimşek, and Finance Minister Kemal Unakıtan during their meeting with the prime minister. The discussions centered on ways to turn the global financial meltdown into an opportunity. Bankers said depicting İstanbul as a finance hub for the region could help transform the crisis into an opportunity for Turkey and asked the government to speed up its steps toward this aim.

Meanwhile, in their meeting with the TOBB president, the bankers got together with representatives of the non-financial sectors and discussed how to overcome the hurdles that non-financial businesses encounter as they attempt to find financial resources. In a note yesterday, TOBB announced that both the bankers and industrialists have accepted the necessity of the continuation of money flow by extending loans to non-financial businesses. The note read that officials from both sides will soon organize meetings at the technical level to determine and stipulate measures to ensure that money flow from the banks to the markets will continue uninterrupted. A working group will also be formed as part of these efforts.

Showing the financial troubles, such as the growing liquidity squeeze, as an excuse, the banking industry had grown reluctant to extend loans as a precaution to maintain liquidity amid the financial crisis.