Northern Rock posts £140m loss

Nationalised British lender Northern Rock said today that it would be returned to the private sector "only when conditions are right" as half-year figures showed a £140m (€168.8m) loss.

Bosses at the "good" side of the bank - spun off from the so-called "bad" part, Northern Rock Asset Management, in January - said the results were in line with expectations, despite being in the red.