The Tánaiste and Taoiseach met this morning in an attempt to heal the rift between the Coalition partners arising from Mr Ahern's admission that he received loans and gifts to the value of €60,000.
Michael McDowell is understood to have asked Bertie Ahern to agree to a change in the ethics legislation to cover the issue of loans and gifts to senior politicians.
The two met in advance of talks with the northern nationalist parties in Government Buildings today and plan to meet again tomorrow prior to the weekly Cabinet meeting.
The Tánaiste's spokesman said last night that the two men were "moving to create a situation where this issue cannot arise again under the law".
Mr McDowell is also believed to have requested details of Mr Ahern's house purchase in 1997 from Manchester- based businessman Mícheál Wall.
Documents relating to the deal were given to him yesterday so that he could satisfy himself that the version of the transaction given by Mr Ahern was correct.
A spokesman for the Tánaiste said last night that the "Tánaiste sought certain information and assurances from the Taoiseach and this information has been received and reviewed."
Throughout the controversy Mr Ahern has been adamant that he had broken no law and that he had complied fully with all the ethics guidelines.
The changes proposed to the guidelines are designed to ensure that in future it would be illegal for politicians to take such loans or gifts without declaring them.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has echoed Labour leader Pat Rabbitte's call for an immediate general election.
It was also reported this morning that Mr Ahern's former partner, Celia Larkin, has been asked to provide the Mahon Tribunal with her personal financial records from the time she was involved with the Taosieach.