"According to the information we got from Scotland Yard, the neighborhood where Ms. Harriman lives is an upscale neighborhood. In the past year, there have been a total of 18 burglaries..."
Nigel Inkster pushed the frame on his nose and said to Barron:
"And on the night when the burglary occurred in Ms. Harriman's home, two other families in the community also reported being burglarized. They happened to not be at home at the time..."
"What else?"
"We also got photos of Ms. Harriman's home after the burglary and the on-site investigation from the police station. Through our expert analysis, we can conclude from the scene at the time that places that have been turned over are more likely to hide valuables. The other party should not have deliberately intended to look for other items...such as photos, documents or videotapes."
Joe Harriman's home was burglarized, and Scotland Yard was in charge of this matter. However, Barron did not have much hope for their work efficiency and ability to solve the case. Therefore, he directly obtained the relevant information of the case through his connections and handed it to his intelligence team for analysis.
As Nigel mentioned, Joe Harriman lives in an upscale neighborhood, which is relatively safe. However, such neighborhoods, often inhabited by high-income individuals, are also easy targets for thieves.
This is evident from the fact that Joe Harriman's neighborhood reported 18 burglaries in a single year—a fairly average rate for London.
Furthermore, on the same night that Joe Harriman's home was burglarized, two other homes in her neighborhood were burglarized, also unoccupied. This suggests that the burglary was truly random, or that the thief "robbed" two more homes to conceal their presence. More evidence is needed to confirm this. However
, based on Nigel's current analysis and all the circumstances, it's clear that Joe Harriman's case was more likely a random theft than a deliberate attempt to steal something.
Regardless, increased protection is warranted for such cases.
After all, her political career appears promising and will provide valuable support to Barron in the future.
"
We plan to pilot online banking first in the UK, then expand to North America and Asia,"
Paul Sprint, CEO of Standard Chartered
, told Barron's. Previously, Sprint served as assistant to former President and CEO David Davis. After Standard Chartered acquired Merrill Lynch to form Standard Chartered-Merrill Lynch, Davis became President of Standard Chartered-Merrill Lynch, while Sprint became CEO of Standard Chartered.
In fact, as early as 1995, the world's first online bank, Security First Network Bank (SFNB), was established.
Since then, online finance, represented by online banking, has developed rapidly.
By 2000, online finance covered all retail banking operations in the United States, excluding cash, and some investment banking operations.
By introducing internet technology, financial services have transcended the limitations of time and space, reduced information management and transaction costs, significantly improved service levels and efficiency, and made services more personalized. Barron clearly understood the potential for online banking. With the widespread adoption of the internet, especially mobile internet, bank customers could conduct nearly all their banking transactions online, significantly reducing the cost of opening branches and making it more accessible to younger people. Furthermore,
with the development of the internet, many bank branches will likely be closed over the next decade or so due to declining customer base and high maintenance costs.
Given this, Standard Chartered Bank would be wise to focus on online banking. This would not only accelerate growth in regions with more established internet infrastructure, such as the United States and Europe, increasing market share, but also allow it to expand its services online.
As for cash services in remote areas or those with fewer users, increasing ATMs would also reduce Standard Chartered's rent and labor costs.
Through its acquisition of ING Direct, the recently launched online direct bank from Dutch group ING, Standard Chartered has established an online banking division, which will initially undergo a trial run in the UK.
Once sufficient experience with online banking operations is gained, the bank will begin rolling out its online banking services across continental Europe and North America starting next year. It
's safe to say that online banking will be a key area of Standard Chartered Bank's future development, and as such, it's being directly overseen by CEO Paul Sprinter.
Barron also commended the measures he's been promoting.
As the newly appointed CEO of Standard Chartered, Paul Sprinter attached great importance to this meeting with Barron. After all, he understood that the Duke before him would determine his future in office.
After completing a series of debt-for-equity swaps, Barron once again controlled a significant portion of Standard Chartered Merrill Lynch's shares, firmly establishing his control over the board of directors.
"Your Highness, following the government's mortgage rescue program, coupled with the funds raised from the sale of some of our accumulated properties, our business in the UK has stabilized, depositors are starting to recover, and our mortgage lending remains sustainable. Of course, mortgage terms have been adjusted to ensure the security of the funds we lend..."
When Standard Chartered Bank first acquired Northern Rock, it faced a very difficult situation. Their depositors were dwindling, and their mortgages were facing a wave of defaults. This meant that many of Northern Rock's previously issued mortgages could no longer be repaid. All that was left was the diminished value of the properties.
However, the "advice" of many British banks, including Standard Chartered, to the government was ultimately adopted. At the end of last month, the British government finally launched an emergency £100 billion mortgage rescue plan to assist families who were unable to repay their mortgages due to unexpected circumstances.
While the families eligible for the rescue plan were well-off but had experienced a temporary and significant reduction in income due to the subprime mortgage crisis, they only accounted for a portion of mortgage holders facing default. Furthermore, the government's assistance also came with certain requirements, requiring banks to discount the interest they could earn.
However, the plan was still able to stabilize the mortgage payments of a significant number of mortgage holders and allow banks to recover some of their capital, which was very good news for those affected by mortgage lending.
Furthermore, Standard Chartered Bank sold €10 billion worth of repossessed properties belonging to Northern Rock Bank to Cavendish Asset Management. While these properties were sold at current market prices, representing a significant reduction from their original valuations, it at least provided Standard Chartered with valuable liquidity for its UK operations, significantly improving its performance and reducing a significant amount of short-term, high-interest debt.