Self-regulation plus
Hard regulatory change is needed, but authorities must also make use of banks’ willingness to be tougher on themselves
The nationalisation of Northern Rock has angered shareholders and shocked the private bidders who hoped to take over the stricken lender
The number of mortgages where payments are behind by three months or more has almost doubled since December, raising fears that the nationalised lender’s business is deteriorating faster than expected
Former non-executive runs asset manager
‘You can’t get involved in details’
Hight Court review of compensation plan sought
Unite to demand no compulsory redundancies
Hard regulatory change is needed, but authorities must also make use of banks’ willingness to be tougher on themselves

The recent bail-outs of Northern Rock and Bear Stearns suggest that the state must sometimes roll its frontiers forward to protect the rickety construct that is the market. That will make government interference harder to deflect in future, writes Jonathan Guthrie
With almost surreal understatement, Northern Rock’s executive chairman described 2007 as “challenging”. Given that the bank went bust, one shudders to think what a terrible year might be

The lesson for the government seems to be it is not enough to make what seem to be the right decisions if one does so in the wrong way, writes Martin Wolf