Banking sector grows at fastest pace since before credit crunch

I would be surprised if the banks weren't doing well in some way, after they have been given Billions at the expense of the people. No this won't go away either, QE and the events that proceeded it are crimes that must not be forgotten.

There appears to be a lot of debt and potential debt under-the-carpet. Commercial Real Estate especially coming to the fore. Credit Default Swaps a ticking time bomb. Who would buy a house now when they will be cheaper in 10 years time? I'm still pushing my MP to get the Retail Banks separated from the Investment side, or some such division/legislation that protects public money. However since we are fighting the very people that are responsible, we are pretty much flogging a dead horse. Not to mention that the safeguards were already there as a result of previous collapses but were removed at the will of the big corporations. If banks want to walk out of the country, let em go, it will be doing us all a favour along with all the people who say they will leave if they don't get their over-bloated bonuses. I'd say walk, there are plenty of other people who can do just as sh*t a job as you did. I would recommend to anyone to swap their cash for tradeable physical commodities such as Gold, or Silver (I wouldn't trust a bank to keep it either). Paper money will be hanging in the toilets before too long. Which country will default on their debt first? Which country will print the most money to prop up the next zombie companies and send it's people into the most poverty? What happens when a Dollar is only worth 5 cents or a pound only 5 pence or even less? We will see and it won't be pretty! As a reminder ...A society is only three meals away from anarchy ... and who's heads do you think will roll this time? Which country will be in the longest slump? Well it will be hard to beat Japan on this one, but since we are all following the same monetary policy I guess the gap will steadily narrow. Japan defaults first? Have a great week and tread carefully out there in the financial jungle.

Chris B. Yes the financial situation is pretty dire but life will go. We all need food and house so all the infrastructure involved to provide these will carry on. There is doom and gloom but it won't last.

When is the government going to allow the banks to pay back the debt?

Nice that it is getting a 12% return, but also the base rate needs to rise rather than it being kept artificially low, in effect savers subsidising the borrowers. The profits would not then be so great and I agree with Chris to this extent, this is more bad news waiting to pop out if the wood work. Less money for bonuses, golden parachutes and golden hellos.

As with the economy, reality needs to sink in.

The banks feel they cannot claw back the wrongly paid bonuses, because that would reveal they were wrong, and they knew it and more top heads would roll.

Roll on the equalisers.

Let's have the base rates up so the savers' no longer subsidise the borrowers. Appreciate this will deflate the Bank's profits but we need to equalise and normalise.