Hubris

The Decline of British Politics in the Twenty-First Century

A sharp critique of the failures of modern British political leadership

About the Ebook

In 1995 Bank of Scotland celebrated 300 years as Britain's oldest commercial bank. Voted 'most admired bank', respected by competitors, applauded by investors and trusted by customers, it looked forward to the next three hundred. Less than 15 years later it was bust, reviled as part of the spectacular collapse of HBOS, the conglomerate it had joined. One of the high-profile victims of the credit crunch, its spectacular fall caused seismic shock waves throughout the financial world.

What went wrong? Ray Perman, who has followed the Bank since the 1970s when he was a Financial Times journalist, uncovered the story from documents and dozens of interviews with people at the top in Bank of Scotland and HBOS - from being the bank of choice for the highrolling Monte Carlo mega-rich to losing GBP10 billion. It is a cautionary tale for our times. In the complex world of modern global finance, the brilliant men who ran the company ignored the simple banking rules that their predecessors learned the hard way three centuries before.

Why You'll Love This Ebook

• Engage with searching analysis of contemporary British political dysfunction
• Discover how successive governments have failed Britain in recent decades
• Read incisive, well-argued political commentary
• Read another celebrated title from Birlinn Ltd - Independent Scottish Publisher

Reviews

'A gripping and authoritative account of the rise and catastrophic fall of HBOS — essential reading for anyone interested in modern banking.' The Herald

'A forensic, compelling and often shocking narrative of corporate overreach and failure.' The Scotsman

'A clear, incisive and highly readable analysis of how one of Britain's biggest banks lost its way.' Scottish Review of Books

About the Author

Ray Perman, a writer and journalist for 30 years, was chair of the James Hutton Institute and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, of which Hutton was a founder member. His books include Hubris: How HBOS Wrecked the Best Bank in Britain, The Rise and Fall of the City of Money and The Man Who Gave Away His Island.

Publication Details

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd

Publication Date: 01 August 2013

Print Length: 256 pages (Ebook edition)

ISBN (Ebook): 9780857902290

Format: Ebook

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