AN AIRING OF DIRTY LAUNDRY

An Airing of Dirty Laundry consists of a series of fictionalised tales based on happenings during my 70-odd years tenure in the finance world. They are set in the 1970/80s when I was in the thick of it. In a small, make-believe entity, I have adopted for the purpose, the 'Australian Banking Company' (ABC Bank). All retold in a fictionalised scenario.

Because of the nature of their business, Banks possess their own unique culture. They are notoriously secretive, bound by longstanding banking law not to disclose the financial dealings of customers. They also zealously guard their reputation against any scandal to ensure their standing as sound, trust-worthy safe-keepers of money, is never jeopardised. So, it is a deliberate ploy on their part "to tell 'em nuthin" on the basis that "if they don't know, they can't rock the boat."

Banks aggressively pursue profit and because of their constant hard-ball approach, banker/customer relationships are not always harmonious. When disputes arise, Banks always claim the high ground, never conceding error. They fight hard and their customers have a difficult time gaining the upper hand. Rarely, does this intransience meet with any serious scrutiny.

On the other side of the banking counter, it is little different. Bank customers also jealously guard their privacy and hold their seamy secrets tight.

We have scant inkling of what goes on.

Against that background, I have lifted the lid a little to give a glimpse inside this secretive world and into the lives of those within it. I hope you enjoy the read and that perhaps when you next visit your bank, you might look at the people behind the counter and wonder whether any are hiding a guilty secret behind a smiling, poker face.

Dettagli