Nationalisation of Northern Rock that Northern Rock was to be nationalised claiming that the private bids did not offer "sufficient value for money to the taxpayer" and thus the bank was to be brought under a "temporary period of public ownership". The government is the sole shareholder through UK Financial Investments Limited, and the Bank is managed at "arm's length" on a commercial basis by an independent board under Ron Sandler. Customers are not affected by this change. A Government-appointed arbitration panel will decide on a fair price for the compensation to be offered to investors for their shares. Prior to the markets opening
Nationalisation of Northern Rock were the three companies short listed by the government to value the bank. On 9 September "The Times" reported that Andrew Caldwell, a valuations partner at BDO Stoy Hayward had been chosen as the valuer, with a fee of £4.5 million. The legal action brought by investors against the Government started in the Royal Courts of Justice on 13 January 2009. Shareholders were also staging a demonstration outside the court. One of the points that was revealed about the case is that they were examining who 'leaked' the information about the bank receiving its emergency government bailout. In order to