* U.S. dollar falls broadly, reversing earlier gains
* Fears of U.S. bank nationalization grow
* Euro zone worries may renew pressure on euro
(Recasts; updates prices, adds comment, changes byline)
By Steven C. Johnson
NEW YORK, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The dollar fell across the
board on Friday as investors sought to lock in the currency's
steep gains ahead of the weekend amid growing uncertainty about
the prospect of U.S. bank nationalization.
The euro surged above $1.28, rebounding from an earlier
decline below $1.26, and wiped out its losses on the week as
traders abandoned bets that the dollar would keep rising.
Fears that Washington could be forced to nationalize some
of the largest U.S. banks also unnerved investors.
According to a Bloomberg report, U.S. Senate Banking
Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said it may be necessary to
nationalize some banks "at least for a short time," though the
White House later said it believed strongly in a private bank
system. For details, see []
Dodd's "comments changed it from a rumor to something being
discussed publicly, and that created a classic Friday squeeze,"
said Michael Woolfolk, senior currency strategist at The Bank
of New York-Mellon.
"There was enough uncertainty for people who were long
dollars to want to lighten up, because we don't know what next
week will bring," he said.
CNBC television reported that the Obama administration
intends to provide some details of its bank rescue plan next
week.
The euro last traded up 1.4 percent at $1.2838 <EUR=> after
having dipped as low as $1.2558 earlier. Against the Japanese
yen, the dollar fell 1.4 percent to 92.98 yen <JPY=>, well off
a session high of 94.38 yen.
Sterling rose 1 percent to $1.4421 <GBP=>.
The dollar had earlier rallied across the board as tumbling
stocks and worries about ailing banks and the global economy
boosted the greenback's safe-haven appeal.
But some traders said investors may rediscover a taste for
risk if some major U.S. banks are taken over by the government
since that suggests authorities were intent on not allowing any
more major financial firms to fail.
"It's not something anybody wishes for, but it may be
something they are forced to do. At the end of the day, you've
got a real crisis of confidence here," said Firas Askari, head
of currency trading at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto.
If it were to happen, "I think equities would rally in the
short run and the commodity currencies would do well," he
said.
The Australian dollar was up 0.3 percent at US$0.6457
<AUD=> on Friday, while the U.S. dollar fell 0.8 percent
against its Canadian counterpart to C$1.2484 <CAD=>.
At a conference in New York, European Central Bank Vice
President Lucas Papademos said on Friday that countries should
strive to avoid taking over banks "to the maximum extent
possible." []
But French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde told Reuters
at the same conference that there is nothing wrong with
nationalizing failed financial firms.
"Nationalization is not a dirty word," she said.
[]
HOPE FOR EURO ZONE
Hopes for a plan that would help the weakest economies
in the 16-member euro zone also lent some euro support, traders
said.
Germany's foreign minister said on Friday authorities were
considering how financially strong euro zone economies could
help weaker members of the currency union, though it was too
early to say what measures might be taken.
Recessions in the euro zone and many Eastern European
economies to which large euro zone banks are exposed have
weighed on the common European currency this week.
Some traders said they expect that pressure to resume after
Friday's rally fades.
"The Eastern European scenario that's playing out is having
a negative impact on the euro specifically, and it's having a
knock-on effect on the pound as well," said Tim O'Sullivan,
chief dealer at Forex.com in Bedminster, New Jersey. "I think
that could be the theme for the next several months."
(Additional reporting by Wanfeng Zhou; editing by Gary
Crosse)
