The Justice Department and Anne Bingaman -- the top official who signed off on the West merger -- categorically deny that anyone at the White House had anything to do with Justice OK'ing the deal.

CNN: Moving Money Through State Capitals

The nationalisation comes after the European Commission blocked an earlier plan that would have seen the country's other large banks, Rabobank, ING and ABN Amro, contribute capital to a so-called "bad bank" to house SNS Reaal's distressed property assets.

CNN: Netherlands nationalizes SNS Reaal