The Barclays and RBS executives bankrolling Mitt Romney’s campaign

A handful of executives at Barclays bank have given over $125,000 to the election campaign of Mitt Romney, filings with US regulators reveal. As banking scandals build on both sides of the Atlantic, other bank executives, including some at RBS, have also been filling Republican coffers.

Figures at a subsidiary of RBS — which is majority-owned by the British state — have donated $13,000 to the Republican candidate, whilst Barclays executives and employees have given $128,000. This comes as Barclays fights to restore its reputation after the LIBOR fixing scandal saw senior figures dropping like flies, and is only the tip of the iceberg.

Major donors include:

• Patrick J. Durkin, Managing Director Of Barclays.
• Thomas E. Hamilton, Head of Mortgage-Backed Securities at Barclays Capital.
• Robert Matthews, Vice-Chairman of RBS’ Citizens Financial Group.

Additionally, with Romney scheduled to hold a £75,000-per-head fundraiser in London, an Early Day Motion has been put forward in Parliament, calling on Barclays to:

“cease fundraising for political candidates immediately and to concentrate entirely on repairing confidence and trust in the banking system instead.”

With Romney yet to make any grand pronouncements on finance, the likes of Barclays and RBS will be hoping for a “business as usual” approach.