Listening banker

Suitable modesty last week on behalf of Terry Thomas, managing director of the Cooperative Bank, launching the business and ecology centre which the bank is funding at four Manchester universities (page 5). After Swedish scientist Karl-Henrik Robert had explained the thinking behind the centre, Thomas said: "I hope you didn't understand all that in 20 minutes because if you did it doesn't reflect too well on me. I had to spend a whole day having it explained before I understood the idea."