As the subprime mortgage market turmoil in the US escalates and spreads into Europe, the Israel Securities Authority said it is examining the exposure of Israeli public companies to such high-risk assets.

In a letter sent out this week to about 100 public companies, President of the Israel Securities Authority Moshe Terry demanded information from those companies about any form of exposure they had to the crisis in the US subprime mortgage market. The ISA will examine the reports provided by the companies and should it determine that a company had a significant exposure to such high-risk assets, the Authority will request that the company disclose the exposure, including any hidden subprime-related losses, to the public.

Separately, Dun & Bradstreet Israel found that according to the research company's data on consumer credit, 600,000 people in Israel are classified in the category of risky credit receivers, which means that they are risky customers for banks and other institutions providing credit lines.

"Although there is no fear of a crisis in the local mortgage market similar to the US crisis, banks are expected be more severe in the financial examination of customers including the examination of their private and business accounts to minimize the risk of providing mortgages," said Reuven Kovent, CEO of D&B Israel.