The troubled mortgage lender Hypo Real Estate has applied for state financial assistance. It's the first private German bank to ask for funds from the government's 500 billion euro rescue package. ((Steve)) Hypo Real Estate has already been brought back from the brink of failure with a massive injection of funds, 50 billion euros, at the beginning of October. And for many private banks, tapping into the rescue fund is seen as an admission of corporate incompetence. ((Meggin)) But clearly, for Hypo Real Estate, there was no way out. +++SYN-MAZ+++