Berlin.– Germany joined Ireland and Greece on Sunday in guaranteeing all private bank accounts, putting Europe's biggest economy at odds with calls for a unified European response to the global financial meltdown.

The decision came as governments across Europe scrambled to save failing banks, working largely on their own a day after leaders of the continent's four biggest economies called for tighter regulation and a coordinated response.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said that no citizen should fear for the safety of their investments, speaking to reporters as her government held crisis talks on the collapse of a ballyhooed US$48.4 billion bailout of Hypo Real Estate AG, the country's second-biggest property lender.

German Finance Ministry spokesman Torsten Albig said the unlimited guarantee covered some US$785 billion in savings and checking accounts as well as time deposits, or CDs.