Page 316 - Bank Case Studies

earnings of $5.5 billion is peanuts. Even when fines are

substantially increased once they are paid they are quickly

forgotten e.g. for RBS etc. they are legacy items.

Additionally, the fines are against the organisation and

ultimately the shareholders but not the instigators –

individuals are rarely held responsible.

Perhaps if ethical practices were robust and enforceable

and where managers were held accountable the cycle of

corruption could be if not halted then diminished at the
policy element.

The Future

A truism might be that firms always do well before they

crash - that is the nature of a crash.

Stress test amongst large banks show that the banks are

robust and complying with the new regulatory landscape

developed since 2008. However, the question to ask may be,

how can the banks be made to work for the economy rather

than failing more easily due in part to the regulation put in

place?

For example, it may be argued that low interest rates,

austerity/recession, falling income, growth inequality, and
income inequality leads to lop-sided recovery where the

seeds of next financial crisis are brewing. Lending,

particularly on credit cards, has grown substantially.

Likewise, house prices have also been driven up. So, what is

going to stop another GRG style scandal from happening