Yesterday there were queues in front of branches of Northern Rock, a small British bank, after the Bank of England - the central bank most outspokenly against bail-outs - stepped in to provide a very large credit line. Northern Rock, now struggling to borrow from its fellow banks, went to the Bank of England. While it is not clear that Northern Rock was big enough to pose such a threat, the throngs of anxious depositors outside its branches on Friday to show how quickly financial panic can spread. But the Bank of England has placed taxpayers' money on the table to protect Northern Rock. read more