ECB Says German, Belgian Banks Need to Reduce Leverage

``Banks in Belgium, Cyprus and Germany are among the most leveraged in the euro area and probably need to increase their equity as a share of assets, the European Central Bank said.... Regulators are increasingly focusing on the broadest measure of leverage as well as gauges that include the risk banks assign to assets. Investors are waiting to hear what emphasis the ECB will place on different methods to assess banks' health as it begins a review of the assets of about 124 of the region's biggest lenders, including ING Groep NV, Societe Generale SA (GLE) and Deutsche Bank AG (DBK), this month and takes over supervision next year. ''