Top 25 lenders in the US, including Countrywide, Citigroup, HSBC and AIG, were responsible for nearly $1 trillion or about 72 per cent of the subprime loans, according to new study by independent research organisation Center for Public Integrity.

The study analysed 7.2 million ''high interest'' loans made from 2005 through 2007 by these companies that accounted for about 72 per cent of high-priced loans reported to the government at the peak of the subprime market.

Securities created from subprime loans have been blamed for the financial market collapse and the subsequent economic meltdown from which economies world over are yet to recover.

The study conducted by the US-based non-profit organisation Center for Public Integrity (CPI) has revealed that these 25 entities accounted for a whopping 72 per cent of subprime loans during the 2005-07 period.

Countrywide Financial Corp, with subprime loan losses of around $97.2 billion, topped the list, followed by Ameriquest Mortgage Co/ACC Capital Holdings Corp with loan losses of around $80.6 billion.

New Century Financial Corp, with loans losses of $75.9 billion was placed third while First Franklin Corp/National City Corp/Merrill Lynch & Co came fourth with reported loan losses of at least $68 billion.

Long Beach Mortgage Co/Washington Mutual came fifth with $65.2 million loan write-off and Option One Mortgage Corp/H&R Block Inc was at sixth with losses of at least $64.7 billion.

Fremont Investment & Loan/Fremont General Corp was in seventh spot, with reported losses of at least $ 61.7 billion while Wells Fargo Financial/Wells Fargo & Co at eighth spot reported around $51.8 billion in subprime loan losses.

HSBC Finance Corp/HSBC Holdings plc was the ninth biggest loser, reporting about $50.3 billion  in subprime losses while WMC Mortgage Corp/General Electric Co came tenth with loan losses of around $49.6 billion.

BNC Mortgage Inc/Lehman Brothers reported $47.6 billion losses coming 11th, while Chase Home Finance/JPMorgan Chase & Co was placed at 12th spot with losses of at least $30 billion.

Accredited Home Lenders Inc/Lone Star Funds V emerged the 13th biggest loser with about $29.0 billion lost and IndyMac Bancorp Incc  was on 14th spot with subprime loan losses of around $26.4 billion.

CitiFinancial / Citigroup Inc lost at least $26.3 billion, coming 15th in the losers ranking, while EquiFirst Corp/Regions Financial Corp/Barclays Bank plc came 16th with subprime loan losses of at least $24.4 billion.

Encore Credit Corp/ ECC Capital Corp/Bear Stearns Cos Inc stood at 17th position with total losses of at least $22.3 billion while American General Finance Inc/American International Group Inc (AIG) came 18th with loan losses of at least $21.8 billion.

Wachovia Corp came 19th with loan losses of at least $17.6 billion while GMAC LLC/Cerberus Capital Management stood at 20th spot with at least $17.2 billion lost.

NovaStar Financial Inc, with total losses of  at least $16 billion came 21st while the American Home Mortgage Investment Corporation took 22nd place with losses of at least $15.3 billion.

GreenPoint Mortgage Funding Inc/Capital One Financial Corp at 23rd spot reported losses of around $13.1 billion while ResMAE Mortgage Corp/Citadel Investment Group stood at 24th position with losses of at least $13 billion.

Aegis Mortgage Corp/Cerberus Capital Management, which lost $11.5 billion, was placed at 25th spot with a total loan writedown of $11.5 billion.

The Center for Public Integrity is dedicated to producing original, responsible investigative journalism on issues of public concern in the USA and around the world.

The Center's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) is a collaboration of some of the world's leading investigative reporters. ICIJ extends globally the Center's style of watchdog journalism, working with 100 reporters in 50 countries to produce long-term, transnational projects.