The power of greed is consistent...

OECD has calculated that 15 leading banks, including Barclays, HSBC and Santander, paid to staff a cumulative £147bn in remuneration in 2009, exceeding the previous record of £144bn paid out during the 'boom' conditions in 2007. Remuneration at these banks was three times larger than pre-tax profits, and compared to dividend payments of £8.5bn. A spokesman said it is 'somewhat disconcerting' that the taxpayer-driven earnings are not being used to bolster capital cushions.