MOSCOW (AP) -- A team of experts from the World Bank arrived in Moscow Monday for more loan talks as the battered Russian ruble continued to slip, heading for a record low since financial crisis hit Russia in August.

The World Bank experts were to reconsider the terms of a previously promised $1.5 billion loan for structural reform, as well as a $800 million social reform credit and a $800 million loan to streamline the ailing coal industry, the Interfax news agency reported.The team will make recommendations to the World Bank board of directors later this month, when it discusses its strategy on Russia.

The loans are part of an IMF-led $22.3 billion bailout package that was agreed upon before economic crisis forced the government to devalue the ruble and put a 90-day moratorium on foreign debt Aug. 17.

Meanwhile, the ruble plunged again in trading today, closing at 20.4 to the dollar, down 0.8 from Friday. The ruble sold for more than 20 to the dollar for a couple of days shortly after the country's economic crisis hit in mid-August before making a modest comeback.

The currency remained relatively stable through most of the autumn, trading at around 16 to the dollar before resuming a steady fall at the end of last month. The ruble was at about 6 to the dollar before the crisis.

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With Russian financial markets virtually wiped out by the crisis, the ruble has become the main indicator of economic confidence. Its fall reflects fears that the government will flood the economy with a lot of new cash to pay its huge debts -- a move that is certain to trigger high inflation.

The Cabinet of Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov has said it may have to print large amounts of money if international lenders, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, don't release the loan package agreed last summer and put on hold after the crisis hit.

In talks last week, the IMF urged Russia to provide a realistic budget for next year as a key condition for resuming loans, but showed no sign that it would free the money any time soon. IMF experts have criticized the government's tax collection targets as overly optimistic and criticized its economic blueprint for being overloaded with state interference.

Until the IMF acts, other foreign lenders are unlikely to give Russia the infusion of cash it needs to pay workers, pensioners and foreign creditors.

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