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Bank of England Governor Gets 2nd Term

King reappointed despite criticism over Northern Rock

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 30, 2008 9:40 AM CST

(Newser) – Mervyn King has won a second term as governor of the Bank of England, the Fed's British counterpart, ending months of speculation about his future. Reuters reports that King will serve at the head of the UK central bank for another five years despite the City's fury at his handling of the credit crisis and the meltdown of Northern Rock. Several reports had suggested Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling were considering another candidate.

In August King had refused to inject funds to help seizing credit markets, warning of "moral hazard." But a week later, perhaps forced by the government, he released $20 billion into the interbank system, prompting calls for his resignation. A senior official at the Treasury called King's approach to the media "naive": in December he told a reporter that the Brown government was in paralysis.

Bank of England governor Mervyn King speaks in this image taken from TV to the  House of Commons Treasury Committee in London  Thursday Sept. 20, 2007.  King Thursday defended his decision to inject 10 billion pounds (US$19.9 billion euro 14.4 billion) into the money markets in the wake...
Bank of England governor Mervyn King speaks in this image taken from TV to the House of Commons Treasury Committee in London Thursday Sept. 20, 2007. King Thursday defended his decision to inject 10...   (Associated Press)
The Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King.
The Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King.   (Getty Images (by Event))
The Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King is seen before the meeting of the EU finance ministers (ECOFIN) in Vienna, in this  April 8, 2006 file photo. The Bank of England announces that it will inject funds into the longer-term money market, marking a major U-turn in its...
The Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King is seen before the meeting of the EU finance ministers (ECOFIN) in Vienna, in this April 8, 2006 file photo. The Bank of England announces that it will...   (Associated Press)
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