Nationalisation of Northern Rock In October 2008 the chairman Ron Sandler noted that there had been informal talks concerning the idea of the merger with the government, but there had been no subsequent discussion. Sandler did however add "It would not surprise me at some point if a closer look was taken at the method of managing loan books within government-owned banks". In March 2009 Alistair Darling said that he was keeping his options open during the "fast-moving" crisis in the banking industry, and thus not ruling out the possibility of a mortgage book merger between Northern Rock and Bradford & Bingley. On 24
Nationalisation of Northern Rock before the removal of the guarantee at the end of May. This means that, like most banks, only the first £50,000 (or as of October 2011, £85,000) deposited is guaranteed. When the British Government nationalised the bank, they noted that it was to be a temporary measure, and one of their aims was to eventually return the bank back to the private sector. On 26 April 2009, "The Times" suggested that the Government would sell Northern Rock by the end of 2009. Potential buyers included Virgin Money, National Australia Bank, Santander, Blackstone and TowerBrook. "The Times" noted that a British