Sales Kevin McConnell, head of research at Bloxham Stockbrokers, said AIB could now be backed into a position where it is a forced seller of assets, including its stakes in US bank M&T, its Polish unit Bank Zachodni as well as its UK business banking arm. The big fear for many investors is that AIB is forced to sell its 70.2pc stake in Bank Zachodni, which is set to remain profitable over the coming years, even as the Irish business remains in the doldrums. "A sale of Zachodni could kill off the (interest among) many shareholders that could be called on to support a share sale later in the year," said another analyst, who declined to be named. Irrespective of what stakes the Government ends up in the country's banks and building society, each institution must convince Brussels in a restructuring plan how it plans to pay back the State within five years. This is expected to be much more difficult for Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide, according to observers.