“The UK’s four biggest banks would need to raise another £155bn in fresh capital to withstand a new financial crisis, despite the view of the Bank of England Governor that lenders have an adequate cushion to cope with further turmoil. Those are the results of research from three respected financial academics – and add to a growing feeling that the Bank of England is dangerously undercooking its capital requirements on UK lenders in the face of swelling instability in financial markets. UK banks had to be rescued in 2008 and 2009 at huge cost to British taxpayers.”

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“Robert Jenkins, a senior fellow at Better Markets and a former member of the Bank’s own Financial Policy Committee, said:  “The balance sheets of these banks represent a multiple of UK GDP. That the adequacy of their loss absorbing capital is so hotly contested 8 years on from [the collapse of Lehman Brothers] shows the failure of financial reform.”

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To read the full Independent UK article by Ben Chu click here.