Chris Skinner's blog Shaping the future of finance

It’s been a while since I blogged about the stuff that’s really interesting.  No, not banking.  Technology! But Technology is coming into its own right now, thanks to the credit crisis. Think about it. You’re stuck at home, with only beans on toast and a …

With the media running headlines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week saying that the world is imploding and it’s all the banks fault, I kinda think that some banks should cut back their ad spending or rethink it.  By way of example Halifax, …

With the media running headlines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week saying that the world is imploding and it’s all the banks fault, I kinda think that some banks should cut back their ad spending or rethink it.  By way of example Halifax, …

With the media running headlines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week saying that the world is imploding and it’s all the banks fault, I kinda think that some banks should cut back their ad spending or rethink it.  By way of example Halifax, …

With the media running headlines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week saying that the world is imploding and it’s all the banks fault, I kinda think that some banks should cut back their ad spending or rethink it.  By way of example Halifax, …

This is former CEO, Richard Fuld, giving testimony to Congress about Lehman Brothers’ collapse.  The sequence shows that since 2000, he took home $480 million in remuneration and bonuses and Mr. Fuld is trying to defend it: I wonder if this is the reason why …

Thanks to Paul Penrose for pointing me to the BBC website where they have not just one, but two pages of jokes about the credit crunch.  Here’s a few that made me laugh:   An elderly lady receives an e-mail from the son of a …

For those interested, you can hear UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, talking about our banking crisis on the new Downing Street podcast service (4 MB download) or you can read the transcript. Here are a few extracts: "I know you’ll be anxious about events of …

I went to an interesting conference this week . The numbers were down on the organiser’s expectations, and the audience spent more time using their Blackberries to read the news headlines than listening to the presentations, but there were some interesting aspects that cropped up. …

I went to an interesting conference this week . The numbers were down on the organiser’s expectations, and the audience spent more time using their Blackberries to read the news headlines than listening to the presentations, but there were some interesting aspects that cropped up. …

Rory Bremner’s sketch from earlier this year seems even more appropriate today:

As a starter for ten. Gordon: "Alastair, do you think you could find another 10 billion of those?"

As a starter for ten. Gordon: "Alastair, do you think you could find another 10 billion of those?"

I promise to stop doing this soon but after seeing the inspiration of Monty Python earlier this week, and how it energised our community, I thought I would try one more before moving on.  Today, it’s a bed-time story for all of you bankers and …

I promise to stop doing this soon but after seeing the inspiration of Monty Python earlier this week, and how it energised our community, I thought I would try one more before moving on.  Today, it’s a bed-time story for all of you bankers and …

Each day it gets harder to know what to say about the events taking place all around us. Sure, a bit of gallows’ humour, a bit of a laugh, a stick two fingers up at the markets and then put your hands together and pray …

Each day it gets harder to know what to say about the events taking place all around us. Sure, a bit of gallows’ humour, a bit of a laugh, a stick two fingers up at the markets and then put your hands together and pray …

Each day it gets harder to know what to say about the events taking place all around us. Sure, a bit of gallows’ humour, a bit of a laugh, a stick two fingers up at the markets and then put your hands together and pray …

The Group of Thirty have just released a special report entitled: "The Structure of Financial Supervision: Approaches and Challenges in a Global Marketplace". Here’s the blurb: "This G30 special report compares and analyzes different approaches taken in financial regulation, revealing the advantages and challenges of …

The Group of Thirty have just released a special report entitled: "The Structure of Financial Supervision: Approaches and Challenges in a Global Marketplace". Here’s the blurb: "This G30 special report compares and analyzes different approaches taken in financial regulation, revealing the advantages and challenges of …

I dedicate today’s blog to all those people who remember Monty Python’s Parrot sketch with affection. The scene begins with a customer entering a bank. Customer: “I wish to make a complaint.” Teller: “We’re closing for lunch.” Customer: “Never mind that, I wish to complain …

This bank is no more I dedicate today’s blog to all those people who remember Monty Python’s Parrot sketch with affection.  The scene begins with a customer entering a bank. Customer: “I wish to make a complaint.” Teller: “We're closing for lunch.”  Customer: “Never mind that, I wish …

This bank is no more I dedicate today’s blog to all those people who remember Monty Python’s Parrot sketch with affection.  The scene begins with a customer entering a bank. Customer: “I wish to make a complaint.” Teller: “We're closing for lunch.”  Customer: “Never mind that, I wish …

Having seen markets rupture over the past few weeks, it’s no wonder that Chi-X is seeing more business coming through, but a quarter of FTSE 100 trading seems pretty steep.  That’s what Chi-X claim as peak on 20th August 2008, 22.36% market share and 28.28% …

Having seen markets rupture over the past few weeks, it’s no wonder that Chi-X is seeing more business coming through, but a quarter of FTSE 100 trading seems pretty steep.  That’s what Chi-X claim as peak on 20th August 2008, 22.36% market share and 28.28% …

There are lots of jokes about banking going around this week, but the one that made me laugh out loud was this cartoon in the Sunday Times by Nick Newman:

Reading the paper’s over the weekend, a few stories catch my eye, especially the story of new MBA graduate Chuck Casano, the man who nearly worked in banking. Lucky old Chuck has almost had six jobs this year. Read more …

I was going to hold back and post these tomorrow, but they are too priceless.  Last night’s Saturday NIght Live on NBC USA has two great sketches.  The first is about the bailout vote: The second is a mickey-take on the Palin v Biden presidential …