WestLB plan would have 'drastic effect' on Irish subsidiary - The Irish Times - Thu, Feb 17, 2011

"Like many other Landesbanken, WestLB struggled to justify its existence in the past decade after Brussels removed its right to borrow money on preferential, state-backed triple-A terms.

Before losing this state guarantee – the central pillar of all Landesbanken operations – WestLB and others made large speculative investments, including subprime loans, through their Dublin-based operations."

WestLB plan would have 'drastic effect' on Irish subsidiary - The Irish Times - Thu, Feb 17, 2011

For Germany's Banks, a Grim Future - NYTimes.com

"The woes of WestLB, which has received $11 billion in taxpayer support since 2009, are symptomatic of a larger problem in the German economy. Many of its biggest banks are still on government life support after making bad lending bets during the bubble years. And with their access to cheap capital long gone, their prospects of becoming profitable again are dubious."

For Germany's Banks, a Grim Future - NYTimes.com:

WestLB Likely to Be Broken Up as No Buyer Is Found, FTD Reports - Bloomberg

"WestLB AG will probably be broken up and sold in parts, as no buyer for the bank as a whole can be found, the Financial Times Deutschland reported today, citing unidentified people in the financial industry."

WestLB Likely to Be Broken Up as No Buyer Is Found, FTD Reports - Bloomberg: