There's a great article on the beeb this morning, showing the goldenage of banking and charting it's change from cautious banking to reckless risktaking and short term gains.
BBC News - What's gone wrong with the banks?
I loved this bit, and smacks of old school England and Bowler Hat wearing bankers... maybe this is what we need to return to!
"the Bank of England insisted that all banks in London's financial district had to be within 10 minutes' walking distance of the governor's office.
This was done, it was said, so that in times of crisis he could summon bosses of the banks to his parlour with half an hour's notice.
Thus the governor could rule the City merely by raising his eyebrows, in that celebrated phrase, face to face.
Bank governance was done deftly, behind the scenes.
The governor never spoke in public, thus preserving his mystery."
