Bankers cashing in

INVESTMENT bankers are toasting a £57.4bn payday after the best start to a year since the financial crisis.

The cash has been handed out in fees for deal-makers, share and bond traders and lending to big business.

Wall Street banks lead the pack, with JP Morgan’s fees up 12.4pc to £ 3.8bn and those at Goldman Sachs up 12.2pc to £3.3bn.

UK banks come lower in the global rankings, with Barclays in sixth place after fees climbed 7.2pc to £1.9bn, making it Europe’s no1.

HSBC was the only other UK lender in the top 25, at 11th, with fees up 27.6pc at £1.1bn.