REFILE-Basel Committee unveils plan to tackle bank crisis

(changes day in first paragraph to Thursday)

ZURICH, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The Basel Committee, a forum that coordinates banking supervision among central banks, announced plans on Thursday to strengthen capital buffers and limit leverage to address regulation failures revealed by the crisis.

The committee, headed by Dutch Central Bank Governor Nout Wellink, said in a statement it plans to issue concrete proposals for public consultation in early 2009 based on recommendations made in April by the Financial Stability Forum.

Among the ideas it is already considering are ways to limit risk concentration at banks, enhancing the quality of Tier I capital and building additional shock absorbers into the capital framework that can be drawn upon during periods of stress.

"Ultimately, our goal is to help ensure that the banking sector serves its traditional role as a shock absorber to the financial system, rather than an amplifier of risk between the financial sector and the real economy," Wellink said. (Reporting by Emma Thomasson; editing by Chris Pizzey)