The bank has pledged to shift resources it once devoted to large-scale projects like dams and highways to programs that directly help poor people.

Still, the disclosure highlights the persistence of problems at the unit even after the bank pledged to change its lending practices.

The bank pledges an answer within 30 minutes on whether a potential buyer has passed a creditworthiness check, she said.

Several banks pledged to leave the business and others promised to change the way they worked.

The banks, working with a coalition of churches, pledged last year to hire 250 graduates from the schools.

And the central bank has raised interest rates and pledged to pull back on explosive increases in the money supply.

Other major banks pledged to remain profitable for the full year, but on a much smaller scale than previously forecast.

In 2004, the bank pledged $750 billion over a ten-year period for community development lending and investment.

The central bank has pledged to maintain this policy until there are convincing signs that prices are headed higher.

The bank has pledged $250 million, but could go to $1 billion, he said.