A BIT OFLIGHT ?

From the BBC Isle of Man website

Bell seeks KSF payouts approval

Savers with collapsed bank Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander Isle of Man (KSFIOM) could be given a Christmas cash lifeline by the government.

Treasury Minister Allan Bell is to ask Tynwald to approve payments of £1,000 to individuals with money trapped.

About £550m was trapped in London when the UK government froze the assets of KSFIOM's parent bank, Kaupthing hf, government officials say.

The early payment scheme will cost the government £11m, Tynwald papers show.

Mr Bell is to seek approval for the scheme during Tynwald's sitting on Tuesday.

A winding-up petition for the bank, which collapsed in October, has been adjourned twice while government officials seek an alternative to liquidation.

If the bank is wound up, savers, many of whom have hundreds of thousands of pounds trapped in the bank, would only be able to claim up to £50,000 compensation.