IMAGINE the Margin's shock on picking up the Financial Times last Wednesday to read the headline "NCB unveils wide ranging overhaul". Golly Gosh, had the suits from NatWest turned bolshie just because NCB had had to chop its equity commissions or was there another more sinister reason?

Sorry to cut a good story short, but this NCB does not refer to our own lads and lasses from Ferry House, recently relocated to Georges Dock and the joys of The Harbourmaster. Instead, this NCB refers to the Nippon Credit Bank, one of Japan's top 20 banks which has had to be rescued by the government there after falling prey to bad debts.

Now what the Margin wants to know is how our own NCB allowed its name to be hijacked.