Happy New Year

Welcome to the first CIOBS Academy blog of 2009. Let's hope this year is not going be as bad as everyone is forecasting.

First things first then. A few hours ago the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) announced another cut in interest rates to 1.5%, the lowest level in its 315 year history, as it continues efforts to aid an economic recovery.

The half percentage point reduction brings interest rates below 2% for the first time since the Bank of England was founded in 1694.

Before anyone asks, nobody at CIOBS was around in 1694 and that includes Peter Moir!

Talking of the great man, he has advised that many more examination centres will be available this year throughout the U.K. Full details of the new centres will be advised to all students very shortly, however, I can reveal that those students in Wetherby and Southampton will no longer have to travel afar to sit their final examinations.

Watch out for a newsletter coming to all students very soon with full details of all the additional centres.

We are continuing with the on-line revision courses for Chartered Banker and the related Diplomas and once again expect further announcements in due course.

Next week sees yet another group of Chartered Banker students arriving here at Drumsheugh for one of our ever so popular Introductory sessions.

Our weekly news podcast is also back this week after its festive break and can be found here:

http://www.charteredbanker.com//MainWebSite/Contentb6f044726360dc5148c86591.aspx?Map=31FAC2DB4566E929B0700EA66B32ABAE

Thursday 15th January sees a very interesting event taking place here in Edinburgh,
The Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland (CIOBS) will be chairing an FSA Retail Distribution Review (RDR) event at The Balmoral Hotel.

Further details of this event can be found here:

http://www.charteredbanker.com//mainwebsite/contentb6f044726360dc5148c86591.aspx?map=324dcc7e1374d445b04e112794715680

So plenty happening at the begining of 2009.

And finally......

I heard of a bargain hunter in an Edinburgh store yesterday holding up an item for her friend to see and declaring: "There's only a limited number of these."

Her more worldly-wise friend replied: "There's only a limited number of everything."

Michael (Is plenty ever enough?)