http://www.ft.com/comment/columnists/lombardhttp://www.ft.com/rss/comment/columnist/lombardFT.com - Lombarden© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2009. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. See http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/terms#legal1 for the terms and conditions of reuse.client.support@ft.com (Client Support)Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:12:01 +0000Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:52:13 +0000Newspapers60http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gifhttp://www.ft.com/comment/columnists/lombard(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/05e745ee-d60f-11de-b80f-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/05e745ee-d60f-11de-b80f-00144feabdc0.htmlThe shadow of unfair competition has loomed over the retail banking market since the nationalisation of Northern Rock. But could the biggest threat really come from old Ernie and his friends at National Savings and InvestmentsFri, 20 Nov 2009 20:12:01 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/a8b75236-d54d-11de-81ee-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a8b75236-d54d-11de-81ee-00144feabdc0.htmlThe market frisson about a potential merger between the UK's Reckitt Benckiser and US toothpaste king Colgate-Palmolive has a certain logicThu, 19 Nov 2009 23:25:39 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/d7c46fac-d442-11de-990c-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d7c46fac-d442-11de-990c-00144feabdc0.htmlSimultaneous resolution of succession questions at Marks and Spencer and ITV is like being blitzed by retailers' pre-Christmas advertising campaignsWed, 18 Nov 2009 21:33:03 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/41a4e01a-d3b6-11de-8caf-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/41a4e01a-d3b6-11de-8caf-00144feabdc0.htmlThere's a palpable sense that justice has not been done at Regal Petroleum. The oil and gas group has been censured and fined for misleading the market about its Greek oil interests between 2003 and 2005Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:43:05 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/98a237dc-d2e9-11de-af63-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/98a237dc-d2e9-11de-af63-00144feabdc0.htmlIf JPMorgan makes Cazenove's bankers nervous, the seniors, such as David Mayhew, the evergreen Cazenove chairman, may simply step aside, while the juniors will be fair game for headhuntersMon, 16 Nov 2009 20:10:46 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/84081338-d090-11de-af9c-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/84081338-d090-11de-af9c-00144feabdc0.htmlWillie Walsh has handed British Airways' pension trustees and the Pensions Regulator a superjumbo-sized dilemma: agree a solution to BA's pension deficit that is "satisfactory" to the group's betrothed, Iberia, or take the blame for wrecking the marriageFri, 13 Nov 2009 20:27:21 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/13ecdf88-cfc4-11de-a36d-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/13ecdf88-cfc4-11de-a36d-00144feabdc0.htmlIf a merger of the FSA and the Bank of England's prudential supervision functions goes ahead, that leaves a big question: what happens to FSA chairman Adair Turner? It's clear that for the good of the world financial system, Lord Turner ought to stay at the regulatory reform tableThu, 12 Nov 2009 20:38:30 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/321650ac-cefc-11de-8a4b-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/321650ac-cefc-11de-8a4b-00144feabdc0.htmlWe know Reed Elsevier's transfer from Sir Crispin Davis to Ian Smith was 'seamless' – but nothing can smooth over a transition to the wrong personWed, 11 Nov 2009 19:59:33 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/4118ade2-ce30-11de-a1ea-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4118ade2-ce30-11de-a1ea-00144feabdc0.htmlSir John Rose would have been forgiven for standing up at the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce on Tuesday night and simply saying: 'I told you so'Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:52:20 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/732f1d3e-cd6d-11de-8162-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/732f1d3e-cd6d-11de-8162-00144feabdc0.htmlKraft's formal offer for Cadbury is virtually unchanged from the unsolicited approach first revealed in September. In fact, it contained fewer fireworks than on Bonfire Night at the Health and Safety ExecutiveMon, 9 Nov 2009 20:54:25 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/c299ab9c-cb0f-11de-97e0-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c299ab9c-cb0f-11de-97e0-00144feabdc0.htmlIn finance, abuse of trust is nowhere more corrosive than in the relationship between a bank and its clients Fri, 6 Nov 2009 20:41:45 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/eb7c631a-ca47-11de-a3a3-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eb7c631a-ca47-11de-a3a3-00144feabdc0.htmlAs a company that built its reputation forging telegraph links over long distances, Cable and Wireless knows how to stretch things out. So it should come as no surprise that we have to wait for more details of its long-planned demergerThu, 5 Nov 2009 21:12:28 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/f1f1e20c-c97e-11de-a071-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f1f1e20c-c97e-11de-a071-00144feabdc0.htmlThe 'behavioural' conditions imposed on Royal Bank of Scotland's global banking and markets team were part of the swamp of detail on how its competitive position should be hobbled, says Andrew Hill Wed, 4 Nov 2009 21:12:18 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/dffd8ba2-c8af-11de-8f9d-00144feabdc0.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dffd8ba2-c8af-11de-8f9d-00144feabdc0.htmlThis is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning. Andrew Hill asks, who will come out best from the battle for Britain's banks?Tue, 3 Nov 2009 20:02:20 +0000http://traxfer.ft.com/cms/s/0/be051ce8-c58c-11de-9b3b-00144feab49a.html?o=%2Frss%2Fcomment%2Fcolumnist%2Flombardhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/be051ce8-c58c-11de-9b3b-00144feab49a.htmlHousing demand is rising as homes and mortgages become cheaper. But the data are also flattered by thin supply; once more sellers jump on the bandwagon, price rises become less assuredFri, 30 Oct 2009 20:10:19 +0000