About 163,000 people paid for the guarantee in 2001.
For the guarantee of complete independence, Beuve-Méry accepted and founded Le Monde.
Not for the guarantee, mind you, but for what he did to make the guarantee come true.
Buyers on that portion of the site, however, must pay a 10percentt fee in return for the guarantee.
And for those who are eligible for the guarantee credit, the £16,000 savings ceiling will no longer apply.
Lenders will pay for the guarantee, and the cost will have an impact on the rates they charge borrowers.
In exchange for the guarantee, banks are to pay a premium and promise to lend money to other firms to which they would not otherwise have extended credit.
He had already voted for a bill making the company eligible for the guarantee, but Governor George Deukmejian, who was aware of the sting, had vetoed it.
Owners lease the apartment or house back to the developer for the guarantee, for a minimum of about 40 weeks a year.
Mr. Blessing said the bank had no immediate need for the guarantee, but that it offered "additional and attractive refinancing options, in case markets should deteriorate again".
But for pensioners not eligible for the guarantee the £16,000 limit will still apply so they won't get any council tax benefit.
