1 APRIL 1995, Page 30

Fidelity, fiduciary bank

Sir: Apropos of the Barings crash and the fall of Rupert Pennant-Rea, I wonder how many bankers (including Eddie George), as they sit with their offspring watching Mary Poppins for the umpteenth time, smile smugly or smart with anguish as they hear the splendid Mr Banks confidently sing:

A British bank must be run with precision! A British home requires nothing less! Tradition, discipline and rules must be the tools; Without them disorder, chaos, moral disinte- gration...

In short you have a ghastly mess!

Incidentally, Master Banks, who unwit- tingly precipitates the downfall of his dad's bank and career, bears an uncanny resem- blance to the slightly older Nicholas Lee- son. Maybe they're related.

John Pollen

Komaba, Maguro-ka, Tokyo