In this respect, when the original deed was made in 1986, amended in 1993 and replaced in 1997, two fundamental legal and accounting principles applied: that a profit and loss account was concerned with ordinary activities before taxation, and that only profits realised at the balance sheet date could lawfully be included in the profit and loss account.

BBC: Lloyds Banking Group wins ?3.5m charity appeal

The agency is gathering information from 11 major banks about their activities involving repos, an accounting technique that Lehman used to move billions of assets off its balance sheet each quarter end, and which the examiner claims deliberately masked the true nature of its leverage.

FORBES: Did the SEC Play Into Senate Democrats' Hands?