Member Info for IrishBrit

Not all gloom, even though €4b seems initially, disturbing to say the least. At least the state has given the opportunity for the group to restructure itself and to give it a chance to remain trading. Irish Life will attract alot of interest and will probably realise in excess of 50% of the total capital required. Along with other selling, the state may need to put in about €1.5b approx. This, whilst giving the government a sizable stake in the group, will at least enable the Group to carry on as an alternative bank to the remaining two. The shares will at least be still 'live' and at their current levels, given the 40% drop in the last day or so, could over the next 12 months or so, still leave a buying opportubnity, albeit with smaller expectation then previously thought.

I hear that shares are suspended for today, until Friday. Look into that which way you wish. I am hoping it is because the recent falls have been completely unnecessary, as after Thursday's report, it will be clear that complete nationalisation is not on the cards. Either way, Friday morning will see a sharp movement. Hopefully UPWARDS!

See report below from Dow Jones re Matthew Elderfield (Central Bank) re forthcoming Stress Tests. DUBLIN (DOW JONES)--The Head of Financial Regulation at the Irish central bank said Tuesday that looming stress tests on Irish lenders will be "rigorous" to help lift deep market scepticism surrounding the Irish banking system. The central bank's objective is to conduct the tests on loan books, in particular residential mortgage loans, "with more conservatism, more transparency and stronger validation" than previous tests conducted on the lenders last year, Matthew Elderfield told an audience of students at Trinity College, Dublin. The results of the tests will be published March 31, he confirmed. Amid the country's worst ever banking and budget crises, a new round of stress tests to identify the losses in four Irish banks was ordered last November as part of the deal Ireland struck with the European Union and International Monetary Fund for EUR67.5 billion in international loans. Despite the Irish government having pumped in over EUR46 billion since early 2009, the crisis for its banks worsened and the new tests are designed to definitively put a number on the lenders' future losses. "These tests take place in the context of a severe crisis in the euro sovereign debt markets, a weaker Irish economy subject to further fiscal consolidation, as part of a formal EU/IMF program for Ireland and against the backdrop of a lack of market confidence in the Irish banking system, reflected in the stressed wholesale funding position of the banks and concerns about future loan losses under adverse scenarios," Elderfield said. Elderfield, who was appointed financial regulator just over a year ago, said the tests were giving "a strong focus" on potential losses in the lenders' home loan books because previous tests had identified losses in their commercial property lending. Commercial property loans to a nominal value of over EUR80 billion were transferred from lenders last year by the Irish government agency, the National Treasury Management Agency, at discounts of more than 50%. The four lenders facing the new stress tests--Allied Irish Banks, Bank of Ireland, Irish Permanent and the EBS--are expected to continue in business, while two other troubled banks, Anglo Irish and Irish Nationwide, are being wound down. -By Eamon Quinn; +353 1 6762189; eamon.quinn@dowjones.com Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front page of today's most important business and market news, analysis and commentary: http://www.djnewsplus.com/access/al?rnd=4%2FCg2qcqIxKlINVn6MZ3%2Fw%3D%3D. You can use this link on the day this article is published and the following day. (END) Dow Jones Newswires March 22, 2011 07:07 ET (11:07 GMT) � 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Hopefully this is already reflected in current SP. If so over the next few days we should be over the worst and the recovery in SP will be as rapid

As part of the EBS sell, the banking arm of IPM, i.e. Permanent TSB, will probably come into play. Whoever wins the bid, ie IPM or the private consortium, will probably as a condition have to merge these two entities. In either case this will leave Irish Life alone as an Assurance company, where the life side is very profitable. In this event SP should still reach €2.00 by year end. Hold.

The news that PTSB is cutting approx 300 jobs today, is a clear indicator that the bank is being downsized in anticpation of merging with EBS. This will be a condition whoever wins the bid for EBS. In either event, it will enable PTSB to be cut lose from Irish Life, leaving the profitable part of the group, ie the assurance side, to operate on its own. This will be good news for the SP over the next 6 months or so. Analysts see the SP at €2.00 by year end. This news will help towards this target.

Carlyle Group which are backing Cardinal as one of the two bidders along with IPM for EBS, have announced the purchase of AplInvest. I would imagine this large financial commitment, could be a sign that they feel they are unlikely to win EBS and that it is going to IPM. In any event IPM is a strong buy,as in any event when EBS is sorted out, Permanent TSB will be offloaded, leaving Irish Life as a profitable entity. SP at 0.9/1.00 is still grossly undervalued. Shoudl reach €2 by year end. STRONG buy.

IPM has been grossly undervalued, only because of the general sentiment, rightly so, because of B of I and AIB. IPM still have not received any Govt funding, with EBS also on the horizon. Even if the private consortium gets EBS, it will be a condition that PTSB is incorporated within. Either way, Irish Life will be free of the bank and this SP will hit €2, easily by year end.

All the best for the future AIB, hopefully we will see you again with the big boys in the not too distant future....

Today there has been an uplift in volume, re trading on this share. This is a positive sign and should be looked upon favourably, as much if not more, than any daily up turn in the SP.

Stay with your share holding. Unfortunately this share is being dragged down by the general sentiment out there, in relation to Portugal bail out and the capital raising that is required for the main two Irish banks, AIB and Bank of Ireland. Irish Life only need to raise €100m, which is small in comparison to these other two institutions and also unlike these other two, IPM have still not received any government funding. They are aiming to offload their banking arm, Permanent TSB shortly, which will eave only the Life Assurance arm, Irish Life, which is very profitable. Medium forecast for this share over 12 months is around €2.00, so currently 0.80c is a great buy in. Stick with it...it will recover again and when it does the increase will be sharp.

For all those who are rightly bailing out of AIB, Bank of Ireland is not the only other option, regarding irish bank shares.. A better choice, at a low price of .96, is Irish Life and Permanent. They are looking to offload their banking arm, Permanent TSB, and will then be left just with their life assurance arm, which is very profitable. Mark my words this will be at over 2.00 by year end 2011.