Bankers’ bonuses – long the lifeblood of Aston Martin dealers and Notting Hill estate agents but the bain of the chattering classes – have a new band of critics. As regulators, politicians and bank boards pore over the causes of the credit crunch and ways to mitigate another one, a concerted effort is gathering steam to make bonuses better reflect the risks bankers take and their long-term performance.

The issue came to the fore this week in the wake of comments on Tuesday night by the Financial Services Authority, the City regulator, signalling plans to factor in remuneration structures when considering the overall risk posed by a financial institution.