Barclays

The LIBOR-rigging scandal that engulfed the banks in 2012 further dented their badly tarnished reputation and dealt another blow to public confidence, leaving investors uncertain how to play the sector.

Now we have published our final issue of Investment Week for 2012, we reflect on what has been a rollercoaster year characterised by big changes in the fund management industry.

Senior MPs want to call Hector Sants, the former chief executive of the FSA, before the banking standards commission to explain how he will overhaul Barclays' troubled culture.

HEROES & VILLAINS

Barclays' wealth arm is being challenged to show its post-RDR proposals have been given the go-ahead by the FSA, Investment Week understands.

Barclays is the most attractively valued UK bank, offering the best potential for growth if it restructures its investment banking division, according to J.P. Morgan Cazenove.

European stocks slumped in afternoon trading ahead of a meeting of eurozone finance ministers to agree on the next tranche of aid for Greece.

The state of banks' financial health remains "obscure" and means they should be avoided by investors for now, Liontrust's Jan Luthman has said.

Shares in Barclays led the FTSE 100 leader board today as investors reacted to an upgrade from Goldman Sachs.

The UK's accounting rules are distorting bank profits and leading to confusion over executive pay, some of the country's largest investors have have warned.