Banking inquiry hears Anglo asked for guarantee months earlier

Anglo Irish Bank had asked the Irish authorities for a guarantee, almost six months before the guarantee of 2008 was actually introduced.

The claim was made by a former civil servant giving evidence at the Banking Inquiry this afternoon.

Kevin Cardiff - who led the Department of Finance's banking unit - said Sean Fitzpatrick raised the prospect of a guarantee with the central bank in April 2008.

Cardiff told the Banking Inquiry that Mr Fitzpatrick's request was followed by discussions with a litany of senior bankers and others who suggested a guarantee might be welcome.

However, he said the final guarantee introduced by the government was not exactly the one the banks had wanted.

"The public has this view that the banks walked in, told us what they wanted, and got exactly what they wanted," he said.

"In fact, the decision to give them a guarantee was not fully made, but I think it was in the mind of the Taoiseach long before that evening."