The Indo Daily
The Indo Daily
Irish Independent
'Baddie of the Bailout': How 'Fingers' Michael Fingleton built 'the world's worst bank'
25 minutes Posted Aug 6, 2026 at 12:05 am.
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Michael Fingleton was one of the most controversial figures of the Celtic Tiger. As the longtime boss of Irish Nationwide, he oversaw reckless lending that ultimately left taxpayers with a €5.4 billion bill. But was he simply the face of a wider banking culture, or the true "baddie of the bailout"? Deputy Business Editor John Burns joins Dave Hanratty to examine the man behind one of Ireland's most infamous banking collapses.

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