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(Reuters) -A group of U.S. banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs, is hesitant to lend $20 billion to Argentina without guarantees or collateral, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week that the department was working with banks and investment funds to create a $20 billion facility to invest in the South American country's sovereign debt. Bankers are waiting on guidance from the Treasury Department on what collateral Argentina would be able to provide for them or if Washington would plan to backstop the facility on its own, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. The loan facility has not been finalized and might not come together if the banks' collateral question is not resolved, the report said. "Discussions on this facility remain ongoing, and we look forward to sharing more details once these talks are complete," a U.S. Treasury spokesperson told Reuters. JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Argentina's central bank said on Monday it signed a $20 billion exchange rate stabilization agreement with the U.S. Treasury Department, providing a total of $40 billion in U.S. support for Latin America's third-largest economy. The Treasury has also bought Argentine pesos in the open market. The U.S. facilities are also raising the possibility of a conflict between the IMF and the Treasury Department, with officials from the fund concerned that the Trump administration could pressure Argentina to put the U.S. liabilities ahead of the IMF's sizable loans, the WSJ report said. The IMF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. (Reporting by Anusha Shah and Ruchika Khanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel, Subhranshu Sahu and Alan Barona)

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HOUSTON (Reuters) -Venture Global has asked federal regulators for permission to introduce natural gas by Thursday into the final block of its Plaquemines LNG plant, according to a regulatory filing on Monday. If the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission grants the permission, Venture Global will soon be producing LNG from its entire Plaquemines plant, more than a year ahead of when it is expected to provide its first set of long term customers with their contracted amounts of gas. Completion of the Plaquemines export facility in Louisiana will bring it to its full capacity of 27.2 million metric tons per annum (mtpa). In September, Plaquemines, the second largest plant in the country, was responsible for more than 17% of total U.S. exports, according to financial firm LSEG. Venture Global, the second largest LNG exporter in the U.S., has aimed to quickly construct and ramp up production at its LNG plants and make money up front by selling LNG produced in the commissioning phase on the spot market at higher liquefaction fees than it can get from its long-term customers. The company has been producing at Plaquemines and selling it on the spot market since December 2024. Venture Global has been taken before courts of arbitration by some of its long-term customers of its first LNG plant, Calcasieu Pass, also in Louisiana, over the length of time they took to receive their LNG. In the case of Calcasieu Pass, Venture Global said it could not provide them with the gas in the agreed timeframe because of a faulty electric system at the plant, while the customers that included the likes of BP and Shell accused the Arlington-based company of profiting by selling the gas on the spot market rather than to them for lower contracted prices. (Reporting by Curtis Williams in Houston; Editing by Sonali Paul)

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By Pritam Biswas (Reuters) -Zions Bancorp reported a rise in third-quarter profit on Monday, helped by stronger interest income and despite taking a hefty loss on two loans, sending shares of the bank up 2% in after-market trading. Zions disclosed last week that it would take a $50 million loss in the third quarter on two commercial and industrial loans from its California division.  The statement from the bank, combined with separate disclosures from Western Alliance and Jefferies about a fraud lawsuit involving Cantor Group V and exposure to bankrupt auto parts maker First Brands, respectively, led to a decline in banks' shares on Thursday as investor concerns over lending intensified. LOAN LOSSES AN ISOLATED INCIDENT "We are confident this was an isolated incident in our portfolio," Zions Chief Credit Officer Derek Steward said in an analyst call. CEO Harris Simmons said in a statement that excluding the loss "remaining net charge-offs were very benign at $6 million, or 4 basis points of average loans on an annualized basis." U.S. bank shares rebounded on Friday, recovering some of the sharp losses from the previous day and easing jitters around the sector. "Third-quarter earnings results for several U.S. regional banks did not show outsized or unexpected credit losses, and management teams are providing a reassuring outlook for the fourth quarter," Terry McEvoy, analyst at Stephens, said. "Such trends support the idea that the stress at a handful of companies is more of a one-off than an emerging trend." Broader loan growth has helped banks rake in more from interest income. Net interest income – the difference between what banks earn on loans and pay on deposits – rose to $672 million from $620 million in the year-ago quarter. Net income applicable to the bank's shareholders was $221 million, or $1.48 per share, in the three months ended September 30, compared with $204 million, or $1.37 per share, a year earlier.    (Reporting by Pritam Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona and Lincoln Feast.)

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