SHARES in Fortis NV fell again on heavy trading volumes yesterday amid continuing worries about the solvency of the Dutch bank and insurance company.

The company has denied any problem with solvency or liquidity. Spokeswoman Lililane Tackaert declined to comment on whether the company could receive funding from the Dutch or Belgian central banks if necessary.

Fortis shares fell 10 percent in Amsterdam to 5.84 euros (US$8.54) yesterday - slightly above the year lows reached during panic selling on Thursday. The shares have lost more than two-thirds of their value since January.

Fortis had scheduled a news conference late yesterday morning. The company said in July it needed to raise 5 billion euros in additional capital by 2010 to maintain solvency targets as it absorbs operations from ABN Amro, which it bought for 24 billion euros last year.

At current stock prices, the combined company is worth just 14 billion euros.

Fortis caught investors by surprise in July by announcing a share issue and canceling dividends.

That triggered a decline in shares, credit downgrades, and the abrupt departure of CEO Jean-Paul Votron.