RBS, exit music

So the Royal Bank of Scotland lost 30 billion euros last year. Apparently the white and blue giant is still sticking to its rugby sponsorship deal.

It brings me back to Ian Rankin's Exit Music, the best book about contemporary Scotland. In the story, the RBS appears as FAB, the First Albannach Bank. "The TV adverts showed FAB as an extended family, and were filmed almost as mini-soaps, while the bank's brand new corporate HQ -built on green-belt land, despite the protests- was a city in miniature, complete with shopping arcade and cafés" writes the author page 61.

Yep, that was the Royal Bank of Scotland in its heyday. I bet Mr Rankin is already working on his new book about the financial crisis. That would make a great thriller.

La chute de la Royal Bank of Scotland (30 milliards d'euros de pertes en 2008) ferait un excellent sujet de thriller pour l'auteur écossais Ian Rankin, qui a si bien décrit l'arrogance du géant de la banque (ci-dessus, photo de son siège près d'Edimbourg) dans son roman Exit Music.