As global consolidation continues apace, one essential ingredient for success is becoming evident – to integrate the respective parties quickly.

As overcapacity in the banking sector heats up competition even further, banks are seeking new strategies to keep them afloat. Melvyn Westlake looks at some of the models being considered.

Crashing markets and a stalled economic recovery are starting to hit banks, causing problems which will make them vulnerable to acquisition.

Regulators are determined to avoid a repeat of Enron and other scandals. But will the corporate governance measures now being considered make things better or worse? Melvyn Westlake reports on the great corporate clean-up.

The Enron scandal has put the spotlight back on ethics. Banks can no longer ignore the issue of social responsibility and those which do may not survive.

The big five global accountancy firms are making substantial inroads into the corporate finance advice market.

The concept of the brand channel is emerging as the new interactive technology that will ease the customer frustration that has come from telephone and internet banking, says Mark Cullen.

Karina Robinson analyses the increasing importance of branding in a world where the security of investments and savings has been overtaken by the image of the bank.

The Banker asked a panel of experts to rate this year’s banking mergers. They gave top marks to Barclays/Woolwich but were highly negative on Dresdner/Wasserstein Perella.