He’s been hearing it for 15 years now, even more: he’ll be a future president of the GAA.

The Government has been asked to state whether it knew a NAMA advisor's former company was implicated in a global tax evasion scheme.

Banking’s reputation was already on the floor when along came rate-fixing and money laundering for drug cartels and rogue states to completely destroy the public’s trust, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

If the Government offloads its stakes in Bank of Ireland and AIB, it will only do so for a price much higher than the value of €8bn by the National Pension Reserve Fund, said Finance Minister Michael Noonan.

AIB chairman David Hodgkinson and the finance minister’s Nama adviser Michael Geoghegan are heavily referenced in an investigation into HSBC’s concealing of Iranian banks transactions from American authorities.

Dramatic US Senate revelations about shadowy money laundering at HSBC bank have put the spotlight on two of the highest profile figures in the world of Irish finance — Michael Geoghegan, appointed by Finance Minister Michael Noonan as chairman of the Nama Advisory Group, and David Hodgkinson, chairman of AIB.

One of the original minds behind Nama has said the body should be partially sold as it is not achieving its potential and faces “a major challenge” in recovering its outlay on loan assets.

National Asset Management Agency chairman Frank Daly expects the agency to receive up to €500m in fresh security for its loans on foot of talks with debtors.

UCC earned a much-coveted home Fitzgibbon Cup quarter-final by remaining cool under pressure to secure victory at Carnmore.

A GOVERNMENT-sponsored review has said the Government should consider selling the National Asset Management Agency, one of the world’s biggest property groups, once it has made significant progress in disposing of its loans, a source said yesterday.

NAMA is expecting to generate a full-year operating profit before impairment charges of around €600 million this year.

Financial consultant Peter Stewart has resigned his role as a non-executive director of the board of NAMA.

Banking giant HSBC is considering selling off branches as it looks to slash costs in its UK retail arm, it was reported today.

Banking giant HSBC today announced plans to reduce maximum bonuses for top bosses, but revealed its chief executive would still be in line for a package worth up to £12.5m (€14.2m) this year.

Banking giant HSBC announced a new UK boss today as part of a management reshuffle by incoming chief executive Stuart Gulliver.

Markets on both sides of the Atlantic were slightly lower today as fresh concerns about the European banking system cooled the September rally.

HSBC chief executive Michael Geoghegan is to step down by the end of the year in a major boardroom shake-up, the banking giant said today.

Analysts cast doubt today on the credibility of the stress tests applied to European banks.

HSBC chairman Stephen Green is preparing to stand down from the helm of Britain’s biggest bank later this year as part of a board overhaul, it was reported today.

Banking giant HSBC today said profits were “comfortably ahead” of last year in the first three months of 2010 amid lower toxic debt levels.

Banks will be the centre of attention in the UK this week with trading updates and annual meetings from major players, while first-quarter figures from insurance giant Prudential will also be watched closely.

HSBC boss Michael Geoghegan confirmed today that he will hand up to £4m (€4.45m) of his bonus payouts to charity as the banking giant reported a 56% rise in annual profits.

Part-nationalised British lender Lloyds Banking Group slumped into the red last year with losses of £6.3bn (€7bn), it said today.

Banking giant JP Morgan may scrap plans to build a new £1.5bn (€1.66bn) headquarters in London due to the British Government’s bonus tax and tougher City regulations, it was reported today.

Barclays and HSBC today gave hope that consumer debt woes in the UK were starting to ease as the banking giants reported sharp quarter-on-quarter falls in loan losses.

HSBC boss Michael Geoghegan has delayed expansion plans because of concerns over a second downturn, it was reported today.

HSBC offered further hope for the battered banking sector today as it said pre-tax profits were “well ahead” in the first three months of the year.

HSBC’s top directors saw their overall pay packets plunge last year after bonus payouts for 2008 were axed, the bank’s annual report shows.

A new panel of City luminaries will help London’s financial services sector tackle the impact of the credit crunch and competition from rival financial centres, the British Treasury said today.

A controversial bonus scheme which could net five senior directors of banking giant HSBC more than £120m (€152m) over the next three years received substantially less than unanimous backing from shareholders today.

First-time Fitzgibbon Cup semi-finalists GMIT have been rocked with the news that top scorer Andrew 'Shocks' O’Shaughnessy will miss tomorrows penultimate round game against reigning champions Limerick IT, because of a broken toe.

Banking giant HSBC today announced plans to close part of its US sub-prime mortgage business, axing 750 jobs.

HSBC shares were under pressure today after the banking giant increased the amount of money set aside to cover US borrowers defaulting on their mortgages.

Britain's HSBC bank has replaced current chairman John Bond after he called time on 45 years at the UK’s second largest company.

BANKING giant HSBC yesterday said it had put more cash aside to cover problem debts as rising interest rates and the slower housing market took their toll on British consumers.

WAYS of speeding up the criminal justice system, now almost at a standstill because of delays and legal manoeuvring, will be fully explored, the Department of Justice said yesterday.

IF ever there was a compelling argument for accelerating the installation of video facilities at garda stations to record interviews with suspects in cases of serious crime, it was yesterday’s acquittal of two men of the alleged murder of a civil servant.

The jury in the trial of two men accused of beating a civil servant to death have been sent away until Friday week as the case enters lengthy legal argument in the Central Criminal Court.

Two men accused of murdering a civil servant told a prosecution witness they "milled" a man and left him lying in a pool of blood, a murder trial heard today.

A civil servant who died after a beating had "patterns" on his face consistent with "stamping", a murder trial was told yesterday.

A witness in a murder trial today denied parts of her Garda statement which she made after the murder of a civil servant in 1998.

A hackney driver has told a murder trial that he saw a man lying on the ground being punched by another man while a third man stood over him.

A 43-year-old civil servant was beaten and kicked because he refused to give cigarettes to two young Dublin men accused of his murder, it was claimed in the Central Criminal Court today.