March 18, 1985

The problems of Ohio's non-federally insured savings institutions have been confined to that state so far, but there are fears within the financial community that if the problem in Ohio is not cleared up quickly it might spread to institutions elsewhere that are not federally insured. A survey this past weekend of executives of non-federally insured institutions indicated that some were concerned about the impact the Ohio situation ultimately may have on their depositors. Some have taken actions to make sure they have plenty of cash on hand today to satisfy the demands of their customers. Financial analysts, however, were more worried. ''At some point, if this drags on too much longer, there's a systemic risk in those states where there is private deposit insurance,'' said Lawrence W. Cohn, chief bank- stock analyst for Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. ''That's why everybody wants it over.''

At their sprawling mountain headquarters on the border between Nicaragua and Honduras, Nicaraguan guerrilla commanders soberly assessed their chances of victory last week and spoke anxiously of the debate on their future in Washington. The apparently impregnable military camp, shrouded by dense jungle and gray rain clouds, is far from Washington. But the rebels' keen awareness of the heated debate they have generated in Congress almost seems to narrow the distance between their base and the American capital. The border camp is the command center for the Nicaraguan Democratic Force, by far the largest exile army. The group received most of the $80 million the Central Intelligence Agency reportedly spent on the war until financing was ended last June. A C.I.A. spokesman said the agency declined to comment on its activities or on the Nicaraguan rebels.

The contract between the New York City Transit Authority and its 36,600 bus and subway workers expires in two weeks, but the president of the union says there is ''no way'' he will call a strike if a settlement has not been reached by then. The Transport Workers Union, once the pacesetter in municipal labor negotiations, has reversed strategy in its current contract talks, seeking instead to await the outcome of the longdelayed bargaining between city workers and the Koch administration. As an alternative to a strike, the president of Local 100 of the union, John E. Lawe, has asked the Transit Authority to agree to arbitration if negotiations are not successful. If an agreement on arbitration is not reached, Mr. Lawe said, he is prepared to wait to see how other public employee unions do. 'Out Front Long Enough' The transit workers negotiate with the Transit Authority and its parent, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, an independent agency with its own budget.

Divestiture, acquisitions and continued growth in the automobile industry in 1984 helped shape the rankings of the nation's 25 largest nonfinancial corporations. Petroleum companies, as in years past, continued to dominate the list of corporations, which are ranked in terms of revenue. With softer demand for petroleum products, however, some of these large oil companies have had slightly lower revenue and nearly half reported lower earnings. Still, oil companies accounted for 11 of the 25 companies listed.

Michael Cleary, 33 years old, was standing with his young son watching the St. Patrick's Day parade here. But the festivities were not the only thing on his mind. He was worrying about what would happen to his agreement to buy a new house. Mr. Cleary, like about half a million others in Ohio, was stunned on Friday to learn that Governor Richard F. Celeste had declared a ''bank holiday'' affecting 71 privately insured savings and loan institutions. Among them was one that Mr. Cleary used.