Tarnished Diamond back in the rough

Bob Diamond, the chief executive of Barclays Bank, has painted himself as the ultimate self-made man, rising from nothing to lead a bank with £33bn in assets. But all that glisters may not be gold for the banker, says Kyran Fitzgerald

His name is Diamond, Bob Diamond, and he is a fully fledged Master of the Universe; the chief executive of Barclays Bank, no less.

Barclays is a name to conjure with, with assets in excess of £2,000bn and revenues of £33bn (€29.6bn) in 2011. It is a household name in banking, tracing its origins back to the 18th century.