Bidders on NIB maintain silence
Front runners Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS), Lloyds TSB and Rabobank declined to comment on their plans for NIB and Northern Bank, which their parent, National Australia Bank (NAB), hopes to sell for more than 1 billion. British investment bank Lazard is advising NAB on the sale.
Banking sources place British giant HBOS at the front of the queue as the bank seeks to build on its existing successful presence in Ireland. HBOS already operates here through Bank of Scotland (Ireland), a specialist business and private banking outfit that incorporates the former activities of Equity and ICC banks.
