EU Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet and officials from Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg huddled in intense, closed-door talks Sunday night, trying to prevent Fortis NV from going insolvent.

In addition to Trichet, EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes, the Dutch and Belgian finance ministers as well as national bank presidents were meeting with the full Belgian Cabinet to find a way out of the financial group’s troubles before markets reopen on Monday.

“I hope we can move forward in the name of all the bank’s” account holders, Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos said as he arrived at the Belgian parliament.

“We don’t want clients of the bank to become the latest victims of financial speculation,” said Laurette Onkelinx, Belgium’s social affairs minister.

Belgian media reported that Belgian political leaders already planned to offer better guarantees for all retail deposits at Fortis, the country’s largest bank and largest private employer.

Fortis named its third chief executive officer in as many months Friday after insolvency fears caused the company’s shares to tumble to 5.18 euros ($7.56), their lowest level in more than a decade. The shares have lost more than three-fourths of their value in the past year.

Phones at the bank and insurer went unanswered Sunday. Fortis has dual headquarters in Brussels, and Utrecht, Netherlands.

Belgian media reported that both the Belgian and Luxembourg governments were ready to pump 7 billion euros ($10.3 billion) into Fortis to keep it alive, but government officials could not confirm this.

Media also reported that Dutch banking giant ING NV was ready to buy bank ABN Amro from Fortis.

Luc Frieden, Luxembourg’s finance minister, told RTL television that his country “is ready to take up its responsibility” to support Fortis.

Marianne Thyssen, leader of Belgium’s Christian Democrats _ one of the partners in a shaky governing coalition _ said offering deposit guarantees was necessary to restore faith in Fortis.

She told VRT television Sunday that “the current government stands behind, we guarantee that savings accounts are insured for 100 percent.”

Yet under Dutch and Belgian law, only the first 20,000 euros ($29,000) in bank accounts are insured.

Fortis denies any imminent solvency problems, but it has been in trouble since it took part in a three-bank consortium last year that acquired ABN Amro in a 70 billion euro ($102.5 billion) deal that was the largest takeover in the history of the banking industry.

Fortis paid 24 billion euros for its share of ABN, but now says it needs around 5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) to maintain its target financial ratios when it integrates ABN’s Dutch retail operations _ the largest in the Netherlands _ next year. In the meantime, consortium leader Royal Bank of Scotland PLC is ABN’s nominal owner.

Analysts have been skeptical of Fortis’ assertions it can sell assets or issue debt to raise the money. A new plan Friday to sell up to 10 billion euros ($14.6 billion) in assets if necessary failed to ease uncertainty.

Various solutions to the problems at Fortis have been proposed. Analysts have suggested that French banking giant BNP Paribas as a possible buyer. Fortis could also receive a cash injection or a loan from or backed by Belgium’s national bank or the European Central Bank.

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AP Business Writer Toby Sterling contributed to this report from Amsterdam