Three former NatWest bankers were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment on Friday, after a federal judge approved a deal that they had negotiated with US prosecutors to reduce their expected prison terms drastically and accelerate their return to the UK.

David Bermingham, Giles Darby and Gary Mulgrew had struck the agreement in November to serve 37 months and pay $7.3m (£3.7m) in restitution to the Royal Bank of Scotland.