Interior of NatWest Castle Street, Liverpool (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This article from the Economist is well worth a read. Check it out!

Europe’s banks: Slouching towards a banking union | The Economist.

Once again, for me, the article highlights the short-sightedness of policy-makers who have singled-mindedly advocated austerity. Lack of vision and leadership from policy-makers has worried the financial markets and consumers, bringing banks to their knees. Personally, I have little time for the banking sector, including both management and unions, with shoddy treatment of customers, with banks in many countries operating as quasi cartels, in my view.

Personally, I would very much like to see a European wide banking union, and a root and branch  transformation of banks, removing layer after layer of bureaucracy, and cutting compensation levels down to size. Do you agree with me or have another view?

Related articles

• Banks Living on Borrowed Money — and Time (nytimes.com)
• Central banks should buy assets other than government bonds, says Bank of England’s Adam Posen (telegraph.co.uk)
• Eurozone bank union: guiding light – FT.com (dralfoldman.wordpress.com)
• Nobel Prize-Winning Economist: Spain Bailout ‘Not Going To Work’ (huffingtonpost.com)
• Germany grows weary of being Europe’s crutch (economywatch.msnbc.msn.com)