Anglo proves just as bad at political predictions as it was at lending

Emmet Oliver

Former New York major Rudi Giuliani received donation of $2,300 from Anglo Irish

Anglo Irish Bank ignored the Obama candidacy

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Last year it had very little luck in attracting or retaining deposits, keeping its share price up or staying out of controversy, but now it emerges Anglo Irish was not very good at backing winners in elections either.

The bank was a financial supporter of US Republican presidential hopeful Rudolph Giuliani, who didn't manage to secure the nomination for his party late last year, never mind beat Democrat candidate Barack Obama.

Filings from the US show that Anglo Irish Bank – via staff in its New York office – made a donation of $2,300 to Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of the city. The donation was the only one given to any candidate involved in the US primaries for either party, the bank told the Sunday Tribune last week.

The bank's New York office, which has lent large sums to locally-based property developers, made the donation in 2007. Reference to the donation is not contained in last year's annual report or in the 2007 annual report circulated in Ireland. However it is understood the donation has been registered with US electoral authorities.