With that change, he said, the banks' capital lost its traditional role as a buffer available to absorb losses in times of stress.

But no one seems so concerned that they are willing to absorb major losses while building an American source of supply for the chips.

Capital adequacy ratio A measure of a bank's ability to absorb losses.

The loss reserve has been included in primary capital on the basis of its availability to a bank to absorb losses.

America Online has absorbed big losses in the last six months.

Central banks have thus absorbed huge losses, at taxpayer expense.

The relatively small size of the recent bailout allowed the funds to absorb losses rather than pass them on to investors.

With $200 billion in assets, it can absorb fairly large losses.

The banks would be forced to absorb large losses.

CBS absorbed losses of about $500 million on the $1 billion contract.