Run Triggers Trading Suspension of UK Lender

Customers and investors have made a run on liquidity-challenged British mortgage lender Northern Rock PLC, causing a brief suspension in its trading Monday, according to Yahoo Finance/AP.The Financial Services Authority, which was one of three government agencies to provide backup liquidity resources to Northern Rock on Sept. 14, issued a statement Monday indicating that operational difficulties at the company resulting from a flood of customer inquiries over the weekend have not disrupted its "underlying ability to deliver funds to savers who wish to withdraw." Callum McCarthy, chairman of the FSA, said, "To be absolutely clear, if we believed that Northern Rock was not solvent, we would not have allowed it to remain open for business. It is open for business, and it can continue to receive deposits and allow customers to make withdrawals." The FSA can be found on the Web at http://www.fsa.gov.uk.