The bank that lived a little - Philip Augar

'A brilliantly readable account, based on exceptional access, of the
transformation of the old Quaker bank into a hard-charging capitalist
adventurer ... both a thriller and a reminder that business is
fascinating because all human life is there' John Plender, Financial Times

Based on unparalleled access to those involved, and told with compelling pace and drama, The Bank that Lived a Little describes
three decades of boardroom intrigue at one of Britain's biggest
financial institutions. In a tale of feuds, grandiose dreams and a
struggle for supremacy between rival strategies and their adherents,
Philip Augar gives a riveting account of Barclays' journey from an old
Quaker bank to a full-throttle capitalist machine. The disagreement
between those ambitious for Barclays to join the top table of global
banks, and those preferring a smaller domestic role more in keeping with
the bank's traditions, cost three chief executives their jobs and
continues to divide opinion within Barclays, the City and beyond.

This
is an extraordinary corporate thriller, which among much else describes
how Barclays came to buy Lehman Brothers for a bargain price in 2008,
why it was so keen to avoid taking government funding during the
financial crisis, and the price shareholders have paid for a decade of
barely controlled ambition. But Augar also shows how Barclays'
experiences are a paradigm for Britain's social and economic life over
thirty years, which saw the City move from the edge of the economy to
its very centre. These decades created unprecedented prosperity for a
tiny number, and made the reputations of governments and individuals but
then left many of them in tatters.

The leveraged society, the
winner-takes-all mentality and our present era of austerity can all be
traced to the influence of banks such as Barclays. Augar's book tells
this rollercoaster story from the perspective of many of its
participants - and also of those affected by the grip they came to have
on Britain.