BANKS..... YET AGAIN!

A few weeks ago I blogged about bankers and rhyming slang. I thought that might be the end of it, however I remember that about a year ago I was warned by a friend of mine in the banking industry that there was going to be yet another scandal. 

Surprise, surprise... he was right!

We had PPI mis-selling, endowments that failed to provide a nice little sum for retirement let alone meet outstanding mortgages, LIBOR interest rate rigging, pensions proving to be worthless, bonus and fat-cat retirement payments to people like Fred the Shred. And yet the buggers are still wallowing in our money and getting away with blatant theft, while claims management companies make money for doing nothing.

Go back and look at my previous blog before continuing to the latest (because it won't be the last) scam by these pillars of society.

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8622544917745692912#editor/target=post;postID=5473502840016773581;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=2;src=postname

This week it was announced by a government sponsored committee no less, that RBS had been deliberately driving viable small companies to the wall, then seizing their assets and selling them for a massive profit.

A Kent hotelier took out a loan from Nat West (a sub of RBS) linked to a complex interst switching device that he didn't really understand. He was told by his bank manager not to worry and that everything was fine. The loan was in the small millions, but the hotelier was keeping up payments and his revitalised hotel was pretty well ready to open when with days to go Nat West called in the loan for no apparent reason. They wouldn't budge and the hotelier was told to put his business on the market. He had no option, but the amount he was told to ask was 25% of the valuation an estate agent had put on it, and well below the amount oustanding on the loan.

Eventually the hotelier had to accept an offer from a property company that was even lower, meaning that to clear the loan he not only lost his viable hotel business, but his home and everything he'd established in his lifetime. He also lost his wife to cancer (who can prove a link!)  and now supports his kids working as a labourer.

And the property company that bought his business? 
You guessed... it was a subsidiary of RBS.


Is this legal? .... Seemingly. 
Is it really theft? .... Bet your boots
Should those responsible be brought to account? .... Oh, yes!
Will they be brought to account? .... Probably not. Big payoffs and a pension probably.
Will the government do anything? .... Words and more words.
We own RBS. Will we have a say? .... Silly question.
Will the hotelier be compensated? .... Nowhere near enough, if at all.
Are other banks doing the same? .... Another silly question.

Lloyds Bank was initially a small family of sober individuals who looked after the farmers' market money when they took their cattle to Alsford in Hampshire once a year. They travelled with the farmers but never touched drink and were totally trusted. It was eventually agreed that instead of walking with the farmers carrying the money, the Lloyds family would stay in Alsford in a fortified house and keep the money in the reinforced basement where farmers could come and get it whenever they needed it. Everyone knew it was safe and the Lloyds family was paid a fee by each farmer.

Everyone was happy... until the bankers became too powerful and believed they were more important than their clients.

Grandmas are famous for keeping their money under the matress. Suddenly that doesn't seem so stupid. If I had any money left I'd probably do the same!

What's the next scam, guys?

Blog on, Dudes!

Bankers. Are They Just Rhyming Slang?

Bankers. Are They Just Rhyming Slang?


Bankers, solicitors, MPs and doctors always used to be the pillars of society. If you needed someone to countersign a document one of those four profession was considered to be a copper-bottomed guarantee.
Now even doctors stand alone...and even their pillars are swaying slightly in the wind of public opinion.


Solicitors (Lawyers in the States) now advertise on TV their services to get you compensation damages for just about anything , from a lost limb, through to whiplash and in one case I know of where a client broke her finger nails when she tripped on a pavement...and she'd only just spent £20 to have them painted! COMPENSAYSHUN! It's an industry and based on ambulance chasing...and if there's no ambulance they'll come to your house through your TV, or a mass campaign phone call, or even text. As a result of unprovable whiplash claims motor insurance costs have leaped over the past 2 to 3 years so we all suffer. Soliciting in the UK used to mean touting for dubious business on street corners and offering "services" to all and sundry. It's beginning to mean exactly that again. Prostituting a profession.



MPs....The word "expenses" will forever be linked to MPs whether they "want to draw a line under it" as Anthony Blair used to try to say (what a coincidental shame all his records were shredded just before he was going to be asked for them). Much od the expenses claimed would have been considered fraudulent normally, but for some reason things went no further and only a token number were prosecuted. Then there's the MP who allegedly asked his wife to take his speeding fine points by saying she was driving.and then left her to set up home with his mistress. Then there's "cash for honours" where wealthy people could ALLEGEDLY make a donation to the ruling political party and in return they would receive a knighthood, or a peerage, or in one case be allowed to put cigarette advertising on racing cars, something banned in all other sports.



So, Bankers. Walking through London's Bank area the building are Greek and Roman in style with massive columns, great big doors with flunies leading into cathedrals where money can be worshipped. The whole thing was a facade to give the impression of respectability, stability, security and upper class control. It worked too, except that was all it was, was a facade. The marble cladding and stone fronting hid the cheapest brick possible. More recently as banks tried to be more user-friendly, they took away the bullet-proof windows and replaced them with desks in the suburbs, though mostly they've gone back to the windows. Either way customers are made to queue to take out or deposit money in Disney Land-like snaking lines. It's almost as though it's a privilege for us to give them our hard-earned cash!

Looking at the London Canary Wharf skyline it's totally dominated by skyscraper glass and steel buildings that tower over every other edifice. Presumably this is so they can look down on us poor minnows who actually pay for it all. What do we get in return:-
- Cost-cutting at the bottom end with jobs being outsourced to India where salaries are a fraction of those in the UK. The result is job losses over here.


- PPI misselling, where banks and other institutions leant money and included PPI insurance to cover against the loss of a job, income, sickness or death. The trouble was in most cases it didn't actually cover much at all and in some cases the client didn't even know they had it. One indicator is that on a normal insurance transaction the profit margin is in the mid 20% range, whereas PPI margins were in the high 80% bracket. Alarm bells? It'll take the banks years to repay the premiums and add a proportion of interest, meanwhile they'll keep the profits they'd made by investing that money.


- Bonuses. A word that used to be honourable and was a reward for outstanding service. To the man in the street the word is now linked irrevocably to banks and to ridiculous rewards for highly dubious activities. The size of some bank bonuses is mind-boggling, especially in the more murky internal aspects of banking and at the top end management. Multi-million pound bonuses just for doing the job are common-place and in many cases at the top were signed off by remuneration committees made up of their peers from other financial instutions. "You vote me my bonus and I'll vote for yours". Nice.


- The latest banking misdeed / fraud relates to internal gambling on loan rates and looks like costing most UK and overseas banks a multi-million pound fortune in fines. Word is that there's another nasty little misdeed just around the corner.


- Apparently banks are allowed to make up to 4 harassing phone calls to people who fall behind payments particularly on credit cards. These are frequently now from India, are harassing, bullying and ask the same "when are you going to pay us" questions. 4 calls each and every day, and we thought PayDay Loan companies were the leg-breakers. It's no wonder some people consider suicide as a way out, and why debt management companies are inundated with business. Your flexible friend now has his own friend who does the leg breaking!


- A silly thing, but walking round the banking areas of London, the banking community all wear smart suits, white shirts, smart coats, well polished shoes...but no ties. It really looks as though they forgot to finish dressing. I can understand not wearing a tie in the office, and putting it on for client meetings, but not wearing one at all and even keeping the top button done up in many cases looks silly as a fashion statement, and slovenly as a work statement. "Look at me. I'm an individual. I'm not wearing a tie!" Sorry, nobody else is , so you're just one of the banking sheep. Baaa..nking!



Do I feel better for that rant? Not really. The MPs are still the same MPs, the solicitors are still telling me I must have had an accident sometime in my life and can collect a fortune and the bankers are still rewarding themselves outrageous salaries and bonuses.
Luckily my doctor is still my doctor!

Blog on, dudes!

Suzan Collins.

Interview with Suzan Collins

My guest this evening is a multi-talented lady who balances her day job of running SPC Consultancy, a health and social care advisory company, with being the writer of a number of related books. Her latest book Beyond My Control: Why The Health And Social Care System Need Not Have Failed My Mother, is published on Nov 1st.

Suzan, you’ve worked in the four main care sectors for more than 30 years now. What convinced you to make it your career and start SPC nearly 10 years ago?

Gosh, has it been that long?

Throughout my career I have had some great posts from being an Officer with Social Services to being a Manager of care homes for adults with learning disabilities and behaviours that challenged the service. These were homes in the NHS, Voluntary and Private sectors.

After managing various services and meeting the government standards 100% compliance I went to other homes to trouble shoot and raise standards and after this I delivered some training across the country. There were many things with each post that I thoroughly enjoyed and took these to start SPC Consultancy.

Your experience in the various care sectors is fascinating. Which did you find the more challenging, and which one was most in need of your consulting services?

I have enjoyed working for the four sectors and continue to do so. They all have their merits.

Which do you prefer, actually being involved in hands-on care, or advising and helping others ensure care is provided appropriately and correctly?

Both! I like the hands-on and I also like delivering training to staff to provide best practice. I also enjoy going into care homes and carrying out audits to see if the homes meet the requirements of the essential standards of quality and safety. If they don’t then I suggest ways of meeting them or work with them to meet them.

Local Authority care and to some extent that provided by the NHS has had some unfortunate press of late. In your experience is this warranted?

There are a great number of staff who do a fantastic job, despite working under a lot of pressure. Unfortunately there are some staff, for various reasons, who do not or who are unable to do a good job. I believe training and support is vital for all staff. ….

Can you tell me about your upcoming book Beyond My Control, Suzan, and what made you decide to write it?

Beyond My Control is a book about my late mum having an accident in the nursing home and being admitted to hospital with two fractures, one on one leg and one on the other side. I was astounded to see the poor care my late mother experienced. My mother developed a grade 4 pressure sore whilst in the hospital. She was admitted with two fractures and died from blood poisoning. I wrote the book to tell the story but also to inform readers on what they can do if they have a relative receiving care that is poor.

I share my story from my personal and professional perspectives and looks ahead to how we can all contribute to keeping vulnerable people in health and social care system safe from harm.

Many thanks for joining me tonight, Suzan. I’m really looking forward to reading your book after it’s released on 1st November.

Thank you, Richard, I have enjoyed it.

Where you can find Suzan’s books:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Suzan-Collins/e/B0037DXY46/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1359380969&sr=1-2-ent

http://www.amazon.com/Suzan-Collins/e/B0037DXY46/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1383046939&sr=1-2-ent

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/suzan+collins/beyond+my+control/9828297/

http://www.eddingtonhook.com/display.asp?isb=9781781610282&

You can find out much more about Suzan and her excellent work on the following: www.spcconsultancy.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Suzan-Collins-author-page/186401074847655

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SPC-Consultancy-Training-Suzan-Collins/146096555424838

Twitter: @suzancollins

Blog: http://suzancollins.wordpress.com/

Sportsmen (and Women!)

Ever since the Greeks held the first Olympics, following the ethos of the Gymnasium (i.e. exercising in the nude), and ran the only race in the whole event... the 100 yards, or there abouts. athleticism and sporting prowess has held a fascination for most people. Even those TV addicts who take up up an entire sofa on their own!

I can't deny I'm no exception, except I can still fit into an armchair. However there are some sports that annoy me intensely, which leads me into this blog rant.


So. What is it with footballers? Three things get to me:


1. They spit.... just as the TV cameras focus on them.
2. They tatoo one arm so it just looks bruised
3. They shave their heads so that 25 year old lads look like old men.

Luckily no footballer has ever been know to have the following:

1. A desire to turn the air blue with swearing.
2. Carnal thoughts about someone else's wife
3. Greed beyond the dreams of Croesus
4. A total sneering disregard for the poor fans that pay a week's wages to go and see them dribble all over a ball.
5. The ability to shoot over the bar from 3 feet.
6. Dive and claim a penalty when hit by a feather.

NO, they'd never do that!



Then there's rugby. The Hooligans' game played by Gentlemen.

1. They play with a ball shaped like an egg, that always bounces the wrong way.
2. They pretend to bleed by smearing pigs bllod on themselves.

3. They jump off ferries and swim to the harbour shore for the Hell of it.
4. They snog their wife's best friend in front of a newspaper photographer. DOH!

BUT...

1. They never argue with the ref, who's at least a foot shorter than them.
2. Their supporters actually like each other.... well mostly.
3. They are often lawyers and accountants in real life, so great at balancing the books or defending themselves against accusations of drunken revelry, while harbour swimming with their wife's best friend.



And cricketers! Well....


1. They're often stumped.
2. Been known to bowl a maiden over
3. Wait for a tickle at 3rd leg
4. They can be run in, only to be run out minutes later.
5. They have creases, in spite of ironing.
6, They rub their balls and no one bats an eyelid


And cyclists....

1. They wear Lycra clothes two sizes too small

2. Pavement nuisences, such as pedestrians, are swept into the gutter with a rampant swear word.
3. Bikes don't have bells any more, but do have stupid strobe lights.
4. Red traffic lights don't apply to them.



Dominoes.... Players knock spots off each other

Darts..... Players are never fat and are always athletic

Snooker.... Never queue.

Hockey.... Players like to bully

Weightlifting.... Boing! Twang! (Double hernia)

Quidditch.... Say no more!


Oh well!

Blog on, Dudes!