Things worth reading: 18th May 2009

Things we're reading today include ...

UK:

Blank exit is a sorry end to HBOS disaster (Telegraph)
Over-ambitious Blank counts cost of the 'deal of a lifetime'   (Telegraph)
Lord Leitch makes early running in the race to chair Lloyds Banking Group (Times)

RBS could reveal top managers' pay (Daily Mail)

Building society in rescue talks (Times)
Branson plans launch of Virgin internet bank  (Guardian)

Bailed-out bank directors hit the pensions jackpot  (Independent)
FSA crackdown on banking candidates   (Telegraph)

Europe:

Publication of the TARGET Annual Report 2008  (European Central Bank)
Publication of the TARGET2 Oversight Assessment Report  (European Central Bank)

Disclosure move aims to revive ABS market (Financial Times)

USA:

Watchdog Digs Into Conduct At SEC  (Washington Post)
U.S. banking crisis may last until 2013: S&P  (Reuters)

Smaller US banks need additional $24bn (Financial Times)

General:

This Is Getting Ridiculous: Cat Amasses Half A Million Twitter Followers In 3 Months  (Techcrunch)