Northern Rock has paid out more than £20m to law firms and accountants over the course of its struggle for survival, it has emerged, with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Allen & Overy (A&O) both in line for bumper pay-days.

According to its latest annual report, published yesterday (31 March), Northern Rock paid £21.2m in professional fees in the second half of 2007 before its controversially nationalisation.