Changes in banking and securities regulation in many countries since 1980 have allowed banks to expand their range of financial services far beyond mere lending, an opportunity banks have been eager to grasp. This business development entails a responsibility; offering informed advice on the choices that customers must make. If we are to judge by a steadily increasing stream of lawsuits, as well as the clear results of customer surveys, most banks fail this part of the challenge. Should the law intervene? That is the basic question posed by this important book. In examining and evaluating the complex answer, and its critical implications for the banking industry, the author uses a comparison of legal systems, developments, and events in two major banking jurisdictions, England and Germany, investigating the relations in each system between the relevant legal rules and actual business practices.