Something else. Farepak on the same terms as banks hitherto - £2,000 and 90% of the next £30,000. The distinction between 'some random company' and 'a recognised bank' is increasingly spurious, with Sainsbury's Bank somewhere in the middle. Frankly Farepak's business model was theoretically more solid than Northern Rock's.

If Northern Rock isn't solvent, we shouldn't be bailing it out with taxpayers' money. If it is solvent, someone would have bought it, and the savers would not have suffered, only the shareholders (which would be the right thing).