Chris Skinner's blog

Shaping the future of finance

Uncategorized

Today, a penny makes all the difference

There are lots of stories in banking I could talk about this morning. There's the Citigroup story of selling their brokerage division to Morgan Stanley.  This is the brokerage Smith Barney that is today's remnants of the firm Salomon Brothers, famed for Liar's Poker stories.  It also represents more of the break-up of Citi as…

$350m for cover(ing up) payments: deal or no deal?

Back in September, I said that someone would get a $500 million fine from the US authorities for a cover-up using cover payments. Well, someone has. That 'someone' is Lloyds TSB who settled with the US authorities for $350 million on Friday.  This seems like a lot at today's exchange rates of $1.50 to the…

Wells Fargo + Wachovia = Two Banks (Update)

On Tuesday, I posted about Wells Fargo's blog that will chart the course of their merger with Wachovia. On Friday, Matt Wadley posted on the blog the following comment: "It seems there's still some confusion out there about exactly what has changed to your accounts with either Wells Fargo Bank or Wachovia Bank. "And for…

Wells Fargo + Wachovia = Two Banks (Update)

On Tuesday, I posted about Wells Fargo's blog that will chart the course of their merger with Wachovia. On Friday, Matt Wadley posted on the blog the following comment: "It seems there's still some confusion out there about exactly what has changed to your accounts with either Wells Fargo Bank or Wachovia Bank. "And for…

Wells Fargo + Wachovia = Two Banks (Update)

On Tuesday, I posted about Wells Fargo's blog that will chart the course of their merger with Wachovia. On Friday, Matt Wadley posted on the blog the following comment: "It seems there's still some confusion out there about exactly what has changed to your accounts with either Wells Fargo Bank or Wachovia Bank. "And for…

AMEX at 46% APR when base rate is 1.5%!!!

This was the shock headline in London's largest newspaper, the Evening Standard, yesterday.  In their free sister paper, London Lite, the short version of the article read: "AMEX at 46%?   No, that won't do nicely! "AMERICAN Express has increased the cost of borrowing on one of its credit cards to 46 per cent – more…

Hiring outsiders at the London Stock Exchange (Update)

Interesting conjecture over at the Financial Times that Dame Clara Furse, CEO of the London Stock Exchange, will be succeeded by an outsider.  Two top names in the frame are Alasdair Haynes, Chief Executive of broker ITG; and Bob Wigley, the departing European Chairman of Merrill Lynch. This is based upon the trend to pick…

Hiring outsiders at the London Stock Exchange (Update)

Interesting conjecture over at the Financial Times that Dame Clara Furse, CEO of the London Stock Exchange, will be succeeded by an outsider.  Two top names in the frame are Alasdair Haynes, Chief Executive of broker ITG; and Bob Wigley, the departing European Chairman of Merrill Lynch. This is based upon the trend to pick…

Citi: #1 on TARP list, whilst Commerzbank is nationalised

Of the 287 institutions receiving funds from America's Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), Citigroup heads the list at #1 with $45 billlion, ahead of AIG and General Motors (General Motors?), according to ProPublica: 1) Citigroup – $45 billion 2) AIG – $40 billion 3) JPMorgan Chase – $25 billion 4) Bank of America (incl. Merrill…

Citi: #1 on TARP list, whilst Commerzbank is nationalised

Of the 287 institutions receiving funds from America's Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), Citigroup heads the list at #1 with $45 billlion, ahead of AIG and General Motors (General Motors?), according to ProPublica: 1) Citigroup – $45 billion 2) AIG – $40 billion 3) JPMorgan Chase – $25 billion 4) Bank of America (incl. Merrill…

Intelligent Money: Our Future Is Where We Do Not Think About Money, As Our Money Thinks For Us

What is the future?

Learn more

Learn more about Chris

About Chris Skinner

The Past, Present And Future Of Banking, Finance And Technology

Fintech expert Chris Skinner: countries need digital transformation to remain competitive

Join me on Linkedin

Follow Me on X!

Hire Chris Skinner for dinners, workshops and more

Learn directly from from one of the most influential people in technology, gain insights from the world's most innovative companies, and build a global network.

Chris’s latest book

Order now

Chris Skinner’s ‘Digital For Good’ Book Launch Event – CFTE

Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on FinTech 2023

Chris Skinner
Commentator, CEO of The Finanser and best-selling author at The Finanser

Thinkers360 Thought Leader

Contact Me

Global Awards

Lifetime Achievement Award

Global 100 - 2024 Winner

Chris Skinner - Financial Markets Advisor of the Year - The Finanser - UK 2023

Best Financial Markets Advisor of the Year 2023

30 Best Regtech Blogs and Websites 2023

Kids creating the future bank | TEDxAthens

Captain Cake and the Candy Crew

Captain Cake Winner of a Golden Mom’s Choice Award

TWO-TIME WINNER OF A MOM’S CHOICE GOLD AWARD!

Alex at the Financial Services

Gaping Void's Hugh MacLeod worked with the Finanser