RBS boss Stephen Hester will not take a bonus for this year

Stephen Hester Stephen Hester also turned down his bonus for last year

Related Stories

Stephen Hester, chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, has decided not to take a bonus for this year.

The decision followed the chaos due to an update to RBS computer systems, which left many customers unable to access their accounts or move money.

He confirmed that RBS is one of the banks being investigated about attempts to manipulate Libor interest rates, for which Barclays has already been fined.

He told the BBC it was a time of "high emotion around financial services".

Barclays has already accepted a fine following an investigation by the Financial Services Authority.

Mr Hester said he could not comment on the situation because the investigation was still ongoing.

The RBS boss had previously turned down the £963,000 bonus in RBS shares that he had been awarded for last year. He said at the time that the decision was due to "enormous political pressure".

As for this year's award, he said: "I don't deserve one and wouldn't take one." His salary last year was £1.2m.

Mr Hester agreed that there needed to be a cultural change in banking. "[Bankers] thought they were masters of the universe, when they should have been servants of the customer."

More on This Story

Related Stories

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites

More Business stories

RSS

Features & Analysis

  • Anthony Weiner, Medea Benjamin of the group Code Pink, and Amanda BynesTweets of the week

    Hecklers, Anthony Weiner and more - all in 140 characters


  • The structurally sound Arthur Ravenel Bridge, S CarolinaLife span

    How safe are road bridges in the US?


  • Feet in a mortuaryDead zone

    The mortuary that symbolises Egypt's post-revolutionary chaos


  • CrashAlertWatch out!

    The 'safety belt' for the walking texter


Elsewhere on the BBC

  • Florence’s Medici Chapel Art over politics

    Michelangelo managed to complete Florence’s Medici Chapel during a time of uprising

Programmes

  • A smartwatchClick Watch

    Marc Cieslak looks at the watches which are capable of doing more than just telling the time

BBC © 2013 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.