The cat's out of the bag - Swiss Banks

Swiss Banks are doing away with their rigid secrecy laws. I know, that in the wake of all the corruption, and terror and what not, the safe havens have become a tad too safe. But well, I for one, am really dejected in this sudden turn of events. Broke as I may be, (by Swiss bank standards of course) for me, the Swiss banks have held a certain mystique, which can only come when everything is shrouded in secrecy. Much like how stories of secret brotherhoods have intrigued generations!

Now that the secrecy clause is gone, the starting point of one of my favorite books, The Bourne Identity is gone! So what if Bourne had the number of a 3 zero account implanted into his hip? Till today, only Bourne would have known the contents of that account. But now, if that book were to be rewritten, all Carlos (Bourne's arch nemesis - for the information of all the uninitiated people - who I exhort must read the said book at least twice, as a mark of respect to a sterling character called David Webb/ Jason Bourne) would need to do, would be to tap into his contacts in the government, and find out Bourne's whereabouts. Gone are all the mysterious tales of hiding three zero account numbers into the hem of tuxedos, or into the circuitry of watches, or even under someone's skin.

With such a regulation, the romantic intrigue associated with such banks, that actually made me want to put the Gemeinschaft bank on Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich on my sight seeing list is gone..... Sigh!!!