The dastardly Mr Deeds
How can the Financial Conduct Authority’s wickedly smart boss Andrew Bailey restore his reputation, dented by the watchdog’s failure to publish its stinging report on Royal Bank of Scotland’s notorious Global Restructuring Group? For starters, he could reassert some authority by releasing his delayed verdict on Barclays’ £8m-a-year chief Jes Staley’s disgraceful attempt to unmask a whistleblower. Perhaps on Thursday, when Barclays announces its annual results. Re whistleblowers, an informant has been paid $30m (£21m) by the US Commodities Futures Trading Commission for their assistance in a complicated conflict of interest case involving JP Morgan. Such a reward seems remarkably generous. Especially when you consider the FBI’s bounty for information leading to the capture of Osama Bin Laden was a mere $25m. Not a great deal is known about HSBC’s intense-looking new chief executive John Flint, other than that he’s a fitness fanatic. £2.9m-a-year Flint, 49, apparently competes in Ironman, a gruelling 140-mile triathlon which takes around 12 hours to complete. Impressive. His stubby predecessor Stuart Gulliver looked as if he might struggle to complete an egg-and-spoon race. Aberdeen Standard Life’s London offices received a visit yesterday from tennis champ Andy Murray, whom the investment firm sponsors. Is Murray a bit of an albatross for sponsors? Aberdeen is this week expected to announce annual outflows of £30bn. He was previously paid a seven-figure sum by RBS until it ended up in public ownership. Meanwhile his kit provider Under Armour, which lured him from Adidas in a £15m deal, is said to be exiting the tennis industry. Majestic Wine’s tousled, £5m-a-year boss Rowan Gormley, 55, asks Twitter: ‘Can anyone recommend someone who can wire our house for broadband without it falling down every five minutes?’ Isn’t it strangely reassuring when even millionaire chief executives are tearing their hair out over Britain’s creaky broadband coverage? Have you any gossip for our City diary? Email: mrdeedes@dailymail.co.uk