I just wanted to spread the risk to ensure if anything dodgy happened, I wouldn't lose my capital. I thought by spreading the principle over three institutions, I'd lower the risk of losing my money to virtually nil.
I know Northern Rock is 100% secure now and excepting armageddon, the capital is secure. I suppose my reluctance in putting all of my eggs in one basket stems back to negative word association from a year ago. A bit irrational, I know, but that's what they face after the run.
Anyway, you're probably right, all in Northern Rock makes the most sense and is pretty rock solid.
Wouldn't consider PTSB, Anglo, BOI or AIB. I think it's entirely possible that their could be a run on any of the above. I'm not willing to risk a cent of the principle for a juicy rate. Juicy rates just reflect the fact that they can't get funds cheaper on the open market because the market reckons they're risky.
So security is No.1, rate is No.2