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A contributor to Will & Testament writes about his mother's experience as a member of the Presbyterian Mutual Society, which announced this week that it is unable to meet demands from shareholders for withdrawal of funds:

"My mother is independent and self-sufficient. She has a house and three children. She makes soup for others and is a giver in every way. If she were a taker, she would have withdrawn her money like all the others who did at the first whiff of a rumour that there were issues. None of this alters the fact that she has lost access to her and and my father's hard-earned savings through no fault of her own other than an obviously misplaced belief in the safety of her savings in the Presbyterian Church."

Yesterday, the Enterprise Minister, Arlene Foster, said her department will do all it can to help the Presbyterian Mutual Society through its cash problems. We wait to see whether the Prime Minister will agree to cover the Presbyterian Mutual Society by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. For its part, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland has made it clear that the Presbyterian Mutual Society exists as an independent legal entity even though membership of the society is limited to members of the Presbyterian Church in ireland.