Bibliographic Information

The creation and sale of Northern Rock plc : report

by the Comptroller and Auditor General

(HC, 20 ; session 2012-13)

Stationery Office, c2012

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Note

"Orderd by the House of Commons to be printed on 17 May 2012. This report has been prepared under Section 6 of the National Audit Act 1983 for presentation to the House of Commons in accordance with Section 9 of the Act."

At head of title: National Audit Office, HM Treasury

Description and Table of Contents

Description

The Treasury's decision in early 2009 to support mortgage lending by splitting Northern Rock in two was reasonable but based on a business plan prepared by Northern Rock management which events quickly showed to have been optimistic. The Treasury went ahead with the split without further detailed analysis. The alternative of selling the deposits and closing down the business was, however, unlikely to have been significantly better. Although targets were not met, lending by Northern Rock plc was over 20% of all mortgage lending during 2010 and 2011. The financial performance of the business was worse than planned, principally owing to the continuation of low interest rates. In 2011, UK Financial Investments (UKFI), a body owned by the Treasury, reviewed a full range of options for the future of Northern Rock plc. The NAO considers that UKFI's recommendation for an early sale was the best way to minimise the losses. The sales process went well and UKFI improved the overall offer from Virgin Money. The NAO expects the taxpayer to lose GBP480 million of its original GBP1.4 billion investment in Northern Rock plc. If account is taken of the likely value of Northern Rock assets remaining in public ownership, UKFI expects that the taxpayer will recover all of the cash provided. However there could be a net present cost for the taxpayer of some GBP2 billion by the time the assets are fully wound down. This net present cost should, however, be seen as part of the overall cost of securing the benefits of financial stability during the financial crisis.

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Details

  • NCID
    BB11227767
  • ISBN
    • 9780102977110
  • Country Code
    uk
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Place of Publication
    London
  • Pages/Volumes
    42 p.
  • Size
    30 cm
  • Parent Bibliography ID
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