US's Geithner-Been working on bank limits for weeks

WASHINGTON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in a television interview late on Thursday that proposed measures to limit bank risk-taking were in preparation for weeks and were not driven by political considerations.

'What it does is try to ensure that we limit risk-taking, the kind of risks that could threaten the stability of the system in the future,' he said on Public Broadcasting System's NewsHour program. He also told a questioner it was not aimed at breaking big banks up.

Geithner said the proposals will be implemented in 'a careful, well-designed way,' adding Treasury will work with regulators so that banks know how to implement them.

(Reporting by Glenn Somerville and Karey Wutkoski)

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