Panorama - How to Beat the Banks

Eighteen months after the great British banking crash, there are few visible changes on Britain's high streets. Most of the same old names are still there, and the banks are back to making handsome profits and equally handsome bonuses - rewarding themselves to the tune of 6 billion pounds in 2009. Reporter Adam Shaw investigates the current state of Britain's high street banks, and reveals that while base rates remain low, the cost of borrowing for customers has risen significantly - with one bailed-out bank charging an effective interest rate in excess of 3,000 per cent - while small businesses are finding it just as hard to get a loan. Panorama asks Business Secretary Vince Cable whether the promised root and branch reform will become a reality, or if the customers have been left to foot the bill.