Chinese Walls

Formal

Types of organisational barriers erected by financial institutions to separate potentially conflicting arms of business, or protect secret information, for clients, in order to maintain confidence of investors, creditors, staff, and public bodies. The term Chinese Walls tries to convey the importance of complete separation of potentially conflicting parts of the roles of financial advisers in their business.

Straight Talk

Careless talk down the wine bar? Or are these meant to be so big, that you can see them from outer space. These are barriers inside banks and financial institutions that are supposed to protect the integrity of all the different interest groups that deal with them. Eg Audit, Brokerage, Acquisitions, Banking - it could all get very blurred!