But I think it's probably wrong to assume that there's a real idea that this is an arm and leg on the same body.

BBC: Six Forum: Is the UK safe?

When a gatekeeper is an arm of a brokerage firm, she says, there's an additional problem: The temptation is to favor money management firms that turn over their portfolios rapidly and throw trades to the broker.

FORBES: Pay For Play

There is an American example: Citigroup, America's biggest bank, spun off its insurance arm, Travelers Group, this year.

ECONOMIST: Do mergers of banks and insurers make sense?