Ireland: NAMA To Purchase Loans from the banks with bonds secured by the Irish taxpayers

NAMA is a semi state body set up by the government to purchase commercial and development property loans from the banks. NAMA will purchase the loans using government bonds. In short the Irish taxpayer secures the bonds.
The Irish government, under the aegis NAMA, will pay interest on these bonds to the Irish banks at initial rate of 1.5 % interest.

NAMA will pay somewhat more to the banks for the loans than their current market value, by endeavouring to estimate what the property underlying the loans will worth in five to seven years’ time, by which time it is anticipated that a recovery may have set in. The current “market value” (the actual value) is €47 billion. But the State is going to pay €54 billion - some €7 billion on top of the current market value and 70 per cent of the book value. The problem with this is that the property market may fall further. It is also possible that the property market may not recover for a prolonged period of time. If this transpires the banks will have been overpaid for the loans and the taxpayer will be left with assets, which are worth much less than it paid for them.

The ECB will lend to the Irish banks. The government-backed bonds will secure this lending. In short the Irish taxpayer provides the collateral. The taxpayer is liable for the principle and interest on these bonds.

The ECB will NOT lend to NAMA. To do so would contravene Article 101. Sean Fleming TD-on Six One News and Willie O’Dea Minister for Defence on Morning Ireland have claimed that the ECB is funding NAMA. Their assertions are factually incorrect.
The Irish taxpayer is taking the lions share of the risk. This has the potential to go seriously wrong. Quite frankly the state will pay too much for the assets. Already Bank of Ireland and AIB shares have risen sharply today with Mr Lenihan's announcement. Good news for the banks. But what about the poor taxpayer?

According to Richard Bruton:
“The Minister is asking us to give a commitment of €54 billion, €30,000 for every household in the State,” “The taxpayer is being asked not just to buy impaired loans from the banks. We are being asked to pay billions more than the market value for them. Remarkably this extraordinary act is being done without any forensic analysis of the costs and benefits, of the risks and threats.”