Northern Rock may be the UK’s most troubled financial company. The Bank of England has put 26 billion pounds into the company and would like to get the money back.

According to The Sunday Telegraph "JC Flowers, Cerberus and the new consortium involving Olympus Partners and Five Mile Capital, the US private equity firms, are all understood to have discussed a deal with Warren Buffett’s advisers."

If Buffett appears to be part of a group buying the troubled UK firm, it may bring in even more bidders. His reputation is strong enough so that "smart money" could believe that he sees something in Northern Rock that others have missed.

Douglas A. McIntyre