Deposit book of Anglo Irish Bank to be moved, says Taoiseach

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has today confirmed that the deposit book of Anglo Irish Bank will be moved to another place within the State in the coming weeks.

Mr Cowen has insisted however that the complete wind-down of the loan book is going to take a number of years.

Earlier this week, Central Bank Governor Patrick Honohan announced that Anglo would disappear from the banking landscape by early in the new year.

The Taoiseach's told the Dáil that deposits at the State-owned bank remain safe.

"He [Honohan] has indicated that it has been agreed that in relation to the deepening the restructuring and reorganisation that has to take place, the need to wind down its activities in term of the deposits," said Mr Cowen.

"Finding a safe location for those deposits within the State is obviously something that can be done quite quickly, by the end of January 2011."