MELTDOWN

This is more than a richly detailed story about the hubris corruption and incompetence that doomed Credit Suisse it s a stark warning to all of us about what happens when we let bankers do what they like Oliver Bullough bestselling author of Butler to the World For centuries Swiss banks have served the globe s wealthiest individuals employing a strict culture of anonymity and gaining massive wealth in the process But when Credit Suisse collapsed the veil of secrecy came down and the world was suddenly privy to the corruption scandal and empty hubris that keep our biggest banks alive It was a 166 year old bastion of Swiss banking amongst the most important and influential financial institutions in the world but a veneer of high class service disguised a darker dirtier reality From its sterile Zurich headquarters the bank catered to a clientele that included dictators drug dealers and former Nazi officers and helped fleece its own clients out of billions of dollars This continued for decades even as Credit Suisse continued to expand acquiring smaller banks and granting its own executives lucrative bonus contracts Meltdown is the story of how the house of cards fell apart Bloomberg investigative journalist and bestselling author of Pyramid