I'm glad Canary asked that question. As Clarkson is fond of saying: -
"I've been looking on the internet and I found this…"
http://www.nao.org.uk/highlights/taxpayer-support-for-uk-banks-faqs/
Such gems as
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Q: Has the taxpayer been sufficiently paid for providing the support?
The income generated by fees and interest is less than would be expected from a normal market investment and has not compensated the taxpayer for the degree of risk accepted by taxpayers in providing the support. Once the opportunity cost and risks are factored in, the schemes have represented a transfer of at least £5 billion from taxpayers to the financial sector. This does not include the cost of holding the shares which have not paid a dividend or seen a capital gain. Further details are set out in Figure 8 of the C&AG’s Report on HM Treasury’s 2012-13 Resource Accounts.
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A snip at £83.33 each, versus the "inconceivable" costs of letting the affected banks go down the pan, taking chunks of the financial sector with them.
I regard the business world as a sort of ecosystem. The collapse of a mighty tree makes space for many saplings. Likewise with a major bank and the competition between the startups is good for customer choice. Personally, provided customer deposits were guaranteed, I'd have been happier to see the collapse play out and shock the surviving banks into underpinning themselves more securely.