PARIS, FRANCE - As a result of the global credit crunch several countries have passed laws guaranteeing their depositors' savings:

EUROPE

- European Union finance ministers agreed on October 7 to increase minimum bank deposit guarantees in Europe to 50,000 euros (67,500 dollars) from 20,000 euros.

Several EU countries have agreed on unlimited or higher guarantees:

After Germany offered a blanket guarantee on bank deposits, Austria, Britain, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden unveiled similar plans.

Ireland triggered the rush with a law offering an unlimited guarantee on all deposits at its biggest banks. It later extended the arrangement to five foreign-owned banks.

Belgium, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands and Spain have upped their guaranteed limit to 100,000 euros.

- The government in non-EU member Iceland has offered an unlimited guarantee for all deposits in domestic commercial and savings banks and their branches.

ASIA

- The Australian government will guarantee all deposits in domestic banks.

- Indonesia raised the value of guaranteed deposits from 100 million rupiah (10,300 dollars) to two billion rupiah.

- New Zealand's government has guaranteed all retail bank deposits for a period two years.

- Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Monday he would consider guaranteeing all bank deposits if necessary.