Bloomberg reports that, according to the coroner investigating his death, former ABN AMRO executive Huibert Boumeester rehearsed his suicide 3 months before he actually shot himself. The banker, 49, died of gunshot wounds and was found in woodland in Berkshire in June.

Boumeester is said to have been suffering from depression after leaving ABN AMRO in March 2008.

And Reuters reports that, Jerome Kerviel, SocGen's so-called 'rogue trader' has been told by a Paris court that he must stand trial over allegations that he falsified bank records to hide his trading activities, which eventually cost his bank some $7.3bn.

The Wall Street Journal reports that AIG CEO Robert Benmosche has told his board that he is close to quitting - just 3 months into his new job. Benmosche is said to be concerned that the constraints imposed on him by the US government just make his job impossible to do.

In the meantime, The Financial Times reports that Jeffry Picower, the friend of Bernie Madoff who was being sued by Bernie's trustee for the return of up to $5bn he is said to have made on Madoff-related investments, has left $200m to his wife in his will. Picower, 67, died after suffering a heart attack in his Palm Beach home swimming pool last month.

Finally, Reuters reports that hedge fund Boston Provident Partners has said that it has fired star trader Ezra Levy (who was also the firm's CFO). Levy has been arrested on charges that he stole over $1.3m from the company.

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