The Vatican has affirmed that Western Banks should look at Islamic financial rules in order to regain their clients' trust amid the global economic crisis. Yesterday, Saudi Al-Iqtissadiya newspaper quoted a report printed by the Vatican's official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano as saying that the ethical teachings underlying Islamic financial rules might bring banks closer to their clients than ever. The report also said that these principles might give banks the real spirit that every institution offering financial services was supposed to have. This follows the appalling figures about the unemployment rate in the US, where up to 655,000 jobs were lost in February (the highest level in 25 years), thus raising the worries of President Obama and his senior assistants.