Sir - In 2005 as chief executive of Singer & Friedlander I explained to the Financial Services Authority why the Icelandic bank, Kaupthing, should not be allowed to take over Singer & Friedlander as its management was not "fit and proper", and so did the rest of the board. We were all ignored.

On Tuesday after the Icelandic parliament published its Truth Report into the collapse of the Icelandic banks, including Kaupthing, I wrote to the chairman of the FSA pointing out the report makes it clear that the whole Icelandic banking and regulatory system had failed massively. The honesty of the report is in stark contrast to the attitude of the FSA and the Treasury, which have refused to explain how they could have done so little, while letting these banks operate in the UK.

Did the FSA and the Treasury realise how badly run and regulated the Icelandic banks had been? And if they did, why didn't they do anything? If only they had done something many UK depositors and taxpayers would have been spared a great deal of pain, as would the whole of the Icelandic community.  [Signed] Tony Shearer.  Finance Comment pages, Telegraph website 18-Apr-10.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/7604349/Letters-to-the-Head-of-Business.html