Stocks continued to fall on Friday, with the Dow industrials closing at a more than 6 year low, as investors lacked confidence in a government plan to stabilize the financial system without being forced to nationalize some major banks.

* The White House said it strongly believed a privately held banking system was the correct way to go.

* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 100.28 points, or 1.34 percent, to 7,365.67. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> slid 8.89 points, or 1.14 percent, to 770.05. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dipped 1.59 points, or 0.11 percent, at 1,441.23.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos)