FINANCE Minister Michael Noonan has stressed that the Government will proceed with its plans to nationalise Irish Life & Permanent (IL&P), in order for it to meet its recapitalisation needs, by the end of this month, despite the group’s shareholders voting against the plan.

The Minister for Finance has secured a court order directing Irish Life & Permanent plc to take steps to achieve the speedy and orderly sale of Irish Life Ltd as part of efforts to achieve the proposed €4 billion recapitalisation of the group.

Speculation has mounted that the State may have to take a stake in Irish Life and Permanent (IL&P), the last privately-owned Irish bank, after this week's stress tests.

NO eggs were thrown at the annual general meeting of Irish Life & Permanent in Dublin yesterday, but sadly the bank’s shareholders didn’t get to bring home the bacon either.

BRACE yourself. The annual report of Anglo Irish Bank will be published tomorrow. The full extent of the toxicity of this former plc and its nefarious practices from October ’07 to the end of September’08 will be exposed.

Finance house Irish Life & Permanent tonight bowed to pressure from the Government, accepting the chief executive's resignation.

IN the lead-up to the emergency board meeting at Irish Life & Permanent last night, political opinion had hardened that Anglo Irish Bank engaged in fraud by seeking the assistance of IL&P to boost its deposits.

WEEKEND reports suggested that Irish Life & Permanent (IL&P) has already turned down a merger approach from Anglo Irish Bank.

TAKEOVER fever gripped the Irish market yesterday driven by the £17 billion (€24.5bn) takeover offer for the Prudential in Britain by Aviva, owners of Hibernian Group in Ireland.

IRISH Life & Permanent chief executive David Went has joined the ranks of the €1 million a year executives with a total pay package of €1.025m.

SHARES in UTV and Irish Life & Permanent have been given stronger recommendations by brokers recently, based on similar arguments.