TIMELINE: UK nationalizes mortgage lender Northern Rock

(Reuters) - The UK government announced the temporary nationalization of troubled British bank Northern Rock NRK.L on Sunday, rejecting two rival bids to take it over.

The following are key dates in the bank's troubles:

Aug 9, 2007 - Date pinpointed by regulators and the bank itself as the date "the world changed" for Northern Rock. The European Central Bank pumps a record 94.8 billion euros into Europe's money markets after BNP Paribas freezes withdrawals on funds hit by U.S. subprime market crisis.

Sept 14 - Northern Rock says the Bank of England has stepped in to provide support, triggering the first run on a major UK bank in over a century despite reassurances from regulators the lender is not bust. The bank's shares crash over 30 percent.

Sept 15 - Customers besiege the bank, ignoring official reassurances.

Sept 17 - The government steps in to guarantee deposits at Northern Rock in a bid to stop the run.

Sept 25 - Under pressure from the Treasury and regulators, Northern Rock cancels its interim dividend and confirms it is in "preliminary discussions with selected parties".

Oct 9 - Northern Rock gets another lifeline as the government offers to guarantee new retail deposits.

Oct 10 - Northern Rock shares jump over 40 percent after SRM Global, a hedge fund run by former UBS trader Jon Wood, takes a stake of over 4 percent.

Oct 12 - Billionaire Richard Branson says his Virgin Group VA.UL wants to rescue the bank, heading a consortium that would inject cash and stabilize the bank's finances.

Oct 19 - Bryan Sanderson replaces Matt Ridley as chairman.

Nov 16 - Adam Applegarth resigns as chief executive. He is later replaced by Andy Kuipers.

Dec 7 - An investment group led by veteran troubleshooter Luqman Arnold makes a long-awaited rescue proposal as another suitor, U.S. buyout firm J.C. Flowers, pulls out of the bidding.

2008

Jan 10 - Goldman Sachs says it is seeking investors in China and the Middle East to help fund a takeover.

Jan 11 - Northern Rock sells a 2.2 billion pound portfolio of mortgages to U.S. bank JP Morgan to help repay loans from the Bank of England.