EFTA01874388.pdf
dataset_10 PDF 466.3 KB • Feb 4, 2026 • 4 pages
To: fames staley
From: Jeffrey Epstein
Sent: Sun 8/12/2012 2:12:49 PM
Subject: Re:
I assume you saw the article in todays sunday tele graph . says he wants to appoint 2 new board
membrs to be able to challenge the new cco
On Sun, Aug 12, 2012 at 7:50 AM, james staley <MINIIMIM> wrote:
This is the note Peter sent to me.
On Aug 12, 2012, at 9:43 AM, Jeffrey Epstein wrote:
)this was sent by Peter to another person taking onver a finnciail institution
It hardly needs saying that you are taking over the chairmanship of CityUK at a difficult
but crucial time for the sector given the huge political and public pressures, the
new regulatory demands and the changes in governance and business models
required to recover from the mistakes of the past. You suggested we might offer
some preliminary thoughts on the nature of the challenge and we are happy to do
so as we all realise the vital need to secure the UK financial sector and London's
pre-eminence.
The basic problem is self-evident. The LIBOR-rigging scandal has set back whatever
incremental gains the banking sector had made over the last three years in re-
establishing public trust and political patronage. It has cemented a perception of
investment banking, and securities trading in particular, as inherently risky and
culturally unacceptable. The PPI and interest rate swap mis-selling problems
compound the perception of an industry whose view of its customers and clients
needs fundamental reshaping. Although these are not new problems in financial
services, in the public mind they are indelibly associated with 2008 and the
banking sector's culpability for the current economic crisis. If anything, European
continental feelings are even stronger and this will be reflected in fresh
regulatory pressures from Brussels, whatever the conflicting interests apparent in
Paris and Berlin.
For understandable reasons the sector has had difficulty since 2O08 with the notion of
collective responsibility for conduct before the banking crisis. There is a palpable
impatience at all levels of the industry with continued public antagonism and
criticism. Yet the political and public desire for accountability is instinctive and
strong, and is being actively reinforced by competing electoral trends and
strategies. This is of course why the subject of pay is so combustible.
5ectoral leaders who are not sensitive to this, or who try to suggest that problems are
isolated to a few unethical individuals or failed institutions, are likely to trip up,
not least because the steady flow of the Tyrie Commission's work and LIBOR-
related sanctions and prosecutions will send the opposite signal. It will fall in
part to CityUK to bring home this reality to its members and to lead with a
strategy that balances a clear defence of the sector's value with a realistic
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understanding of just how far its credibility has been damaged. This is a difficult
path to tread.
Nonetheless, if CityUK does not navigate this course and insist on the positive value of the
sector to the UK economy, few others will. One of the problems is finding
articulate and courageous exponents from amongst banking's leaders who are
prepared to speak up in a balanced and persuasive way. The traditional trade
association approach of pointing to jobs created and taxes paid risks looking
irrelevant if it does not register a debate that is shifting onto the ground of
culture and ethics. The questions put implicitly to the sector will increasingly
focus on what these jobs involve, how their profits are made and in what spirit
the taxes are paid.
One of the temptations of banks is likely to be to throw money at high profile CSR work,
which risks being singularly counterproductive in dealing with a critique of their
business models. For managers accustomed to being measured by returns on
equity, these more qualitative benchmarks may be difficult. It seems to us that
part of CityUK's work is in challenging the way its members approach this
changed landscape.
One of the marked tendencies of CityUK's membership has always been to try to
outsource the sector's image to the organisation. Although visible CityUK leaders
are vital, CityUK should chiefly be a facilitator for bringing stakeholders and City
practitioners together and encouraging a common cause to emerge. Indeed, one
of CityUK's key roles should be identifying and cultivating a new generation of
sectoral leaders comfortable and credible on this ground and encouraging them as
spokespeople for the sector. The sector's past narrative became all together too
self-satisfied. It should start with a sense of humility, acknowledging its massive
responsibility for economic growth and stewardship of our assets and savings.
These things are genuine and durable comparative advantages but only with the
highest ethical standards and quality of governance.
Aside from thesequestions of culture change, it seems to us that the European issues loom
very large for Britain. Financial regulation has already been moved to the
European level, with bodies like the PRA and the FCA largely supervising the
application of European rules. The coming year will see the outlines of a banking
union negotiated for the Eurozone. If the UK is to remain outside this union then
it needs to do so with a clear understanding of the consequences. The City's often
aggressive posture on regulation 'from Brussels' has sometimes seemed
indistinguishable from euroscepticism and has often been interpreted as such by
politicians and by Brussels. In reality the City's interests in a single market for
financial services in which Britian exercises genuine influence are much more
complex than this and have not been well communicated to politicians. This
needs to be a priority.
Finally, as you noted, we have to be pragmatic about the diversity of interests
represented by CityUK. The insurance and fund management industries rightly
resent the fact that they are often bracketed with the banks. Moreover, the
'independent' global banks resent being bracketed with the banks that required
direct support from the UK taxpayer. Even, the investment banking divisions of
global banks resent the image created by the supposed values of their
institutional trading floors. Speaking for this group of sub-sectors is not easy,
especially as members are instinctively distrustful of each other and competitive
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as a matter of course.
It is not realistic to expect the insurance or accounting industries to sign up to a narrative
of culture change to the same degree as the banks, but this should not become an
argument for trying to circumvent the tough questions concerning behaviour.
'The City' is a single ecosystem and this is how the general public instinctively
understand it. Trust matters profoundly to every part of the system, even if they
have forfeited it in radically different degrees.
At the end of the day, politicians are looking for a vision of a financial sector and
bankingsystem that fits with their instinctive desire for an economy that is more
sustainable, less short-termist, less leveraged and more focused on productive
investment. CityUK's challenge is addressing this appetite for change and renewal
without accepting the simplistic view of finance held bysome in politics and the
media. This is actually a fascinating challenge, probably the most important
facing the UK and our future economic strength.
I look forward to continuing this conversation with you and your colleagues after the
holiday period.
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The information contained in this communication is
confidential, may be attorney-client privileged, may
constitute inside information, and is intended only for
the use of the addressee. It is the property of
Jeffrey Epstein
Unauthorized use, disclosure or copying of this
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communication or any part thereof is strictly prohibited
and may be unlawful. If you have received this
communication in error, please notify us immediately by
return e-mail or by e-mail to jeevacation@gmail com and
destroy this communication and all copies thereof,
including all attachments. copyright -all rights reserved
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