· Bank bail-outs to be kept secret

Dan Atkinson, Simon Watkins, Mail on Sunday
27 April 2008, 8:59am

The Bank of England has imposed a permanent news blackout on its £50bn-plus plan to ease the credit crunch.

Ferocious and unprecedented secrecy means taxpayers will never know the names of the banks that have been supported through the special liquidity scheme, which was unveiled by Bank Governor Mervyn King last week.

Requests under the Freedom of Information Act are to be denied. Details will be kept secret even after 30 years - the period after which all but the most sensitive state documents are released.

Any Bank of England employee leaking the names of institutions involved will face court action for breach of contract.

Full story http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=440824&in_page_id=2&ct=5

· HBOS asks shareholders for £4bn to bolster balance sheet

The UK's biggest mortgage lender, Halifax Bank of Scotland, today called on shareholders for £4 billion to strengthen its balance sheet.

HBOS said the rights issue - which follows Royal Bank of Scotland's £12 billion cash call last week - was needed to "consolidate its competitive position".

The bank also wrote off £2.8 billion on investments hit by the credit crunch.

Full story http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2231999.0.HBOS_asks_shareholders_for_4bn_to_bolster_balance_sheet.php