Anglo Irish lent 397.8 mln pounds to investors to buy shares

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Anglo Irish Bank said on Friday it lent 451 million euros (397.8 million pounds) to ten customers to buy shares in the lender of which only 83 million euros has been repaid.

The commercial property lender, which was nationalised in January, said in its annual report that it will include a specific impairment charge of 300 million euros for the six months ending March 31, 2009 to cover losses on loans where Anglo's shares were the only collateral.

Anglo Irish also said that there would likely be an impairment charge in the six months to March 31, 2009 on directors' loans.

Directors' loans totalled 179 million euros at the end of its 2008 financial year.