Bought by HSBC in the early 1990's after its strenght had been sapped, its Lutyens-designed Head Office in London and its northern head office in Manchester, built at the height of its pride and self-esteem. It's Lodon office overlooked the Bank Of England. It's Northern HQ was grander than the neighbouring offices of other banks and of the Bank of England. But it declined after the 1940s, became ambitious enough to try expansion again by buying what turned out to be a dodgy bank in California ...... and ended up small enough to be eaten up by HSBC, the former Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation. Grand schemes for its listed Lutyens offices allowed HSBC to sell to Russian magnates with hotel schemes in mind, while the original Threadneedle Street Head office of what was then the London, City & Midland Bank, from which it derived - and its grand opulent banking hall, are now converted into a restaurant. Somehow, courtesy of its Far East banking franchise and its canny Scots tradition in Hong Kong - to which its chief executive has just announced his intention to return his office, HSBC has survived the latest of banking crises in 2008-9 without government support. But even it tripped, not learning from Midland's Crocker Bank history, when it also tried to extend its tentacles into the USA and narrowly avoided succumbing to the sub-prime risks and massive executive remuneration of it victim-predator, Household/HFC, which it bought with panache only a decade ago.... and which has resulted in huge write-offs and reputational risk to its proud world-straddling brand, not unlike Midland Bank did in the 1970s. Known as the "wedding cake" or simply "the Lutyens": Midland Bank, corner of King Street & Spring Gardens, Sir Edwin Lutyens, 1929-35, in what was then the central banking district of the city, opposite the old Reform Club.

Bought by HSBC in the early 1990's after its strenght had been sapped, its Lutyens-designed Head Office in London and its northern head office in Manchester, built at the height of its pride and self-esteem. It's Lodon office overlooked the Bank Of England. It's Northern HQ was grander than the neighbouring offices of other banks and of the Bank of England. But it declined after the 1940s, became ambitious enough to try expansion again by buying what turned out to be a dodgy bank in California ...... and ended up small enough to be eaten up by HSBC, the former Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation. Grand schemes for its listed Lutyens offices allowed HSBC to sell to Russian magnates with hotel schemes in mind, while the original Threadneedle Street Head office of what was then the London, City & Midland Bank, from which it derived - and its grand opulent banking hall, are now converted into a restaurant. Somehow, courtesy of its Far East banking franchise and its canny Scots tradition in Hong Kong - to which its chief executive has just announced his intention to return his office, HSBC has survived the latest of banking crises in 2008-9 without government support. But even it tripped, not learning from Midland's Crocker Bank history, when it also tried to extend its tentacles into the USA and narrowly avoided succumbing to the sub-prime risks and massive executive remuneration of it victim-predator, Household/HFC, which it bought with panache only a decade ago.... and which has resulted in huge write-offs and reputational risk to its proud world-straddling brand, not unlike Midland Bank did in the 1970s. Known as the "wedding cake" or simply "the Lutyens": Midland Bank, corner of King Street & Spring Gardens, Sir Edwin Lutyens, 1933-35, in what was then the central banking district of the city, opposite the old Reform Club.