Well, all those recruiters who have been busy sending CVs to Barclays Capital, as the firm builds out its M&A and equities platform in Europe and Asia, had better have got some scores on the doors already.

And that's because, according to Barclays President Bob Diamond, BarCap is 75 - 80% done with this recruitment drive, and there will therefore be fewer opportunities for recruiters to generate fees from this initiative going forward.

Diamond told Bloomberg TV, however, that 'the most exciting priority for us (now) would be to continue to expand and grow in our emerging markets'. Recruiters are therefore advised to hit their 'Emerging Markets' candidate databases.

In the meantime, The Independent reports that three more former Dresdner Kleinwort executive committee members have sued Dresdner / Commerzbank over what they claim are unpaid bonus and severance payouts. John McIntyre, Alberto Piedra and Bertrand Pinel are said to be claiming $15.7m between them.

A spokesperson for Commerzbank said: 'Given the huge losses at Dresdner Kleinwort last year, Commerzbank objected to the bonus and severance claims of the former Dresdner Kleinwort senior management. We continue to contest these (inherited) arrangements .......and have no further comment'.

And Bloomberg also reports that alleged fraudster Allen Stanford remains hospitalized after being rushed to hospital earlier this week with an elevated pulse. Stanford's pulse will not have been helped by the news Thursday that James Davis, the CFO of Stanford Financial Group, has pleaded guilty to charges that he helped facilitate a $7bn Ponzi scheme.

Finally, Reuters reports that Robert Benmosche, the new CEO over at AIG, has slammed his critics who blasted him for going on holiday just a matter of days after starting his new job. In an interview with the news agency, Benmosche criticised the 'lunch mob' attacks, and said: 'People criticize me for being on vacation. I actually started work a week before I was actually supposed to. I do conference calls every day, I have all information sent here (to Croatia). I can work as well here as in the office in New York'. Give the guy a break!

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