Depending upon where you look, Cantor Fitzgerald is hiring either 100 or only 50 staff in London. It’s all part of an endeavour to build a “small merchant banking operation” focused on the middle tier. Financial News says the new hires will be “spread across various units”, with a focus on fixed income. Bloomberg says they’ll mostly be in high yield and distressed debt.

“They’ll pay a one-off bonus worth twice what you earned in your previous best year.” (The Times)

(As we mentioned previously) guarantees are no longer necessarily guarantees. (Financial News)

Big times coming in ECM. (The Times)

BofA Merrill Lynch has hired 100 people in 10 weeks in Asia. (Financial Times)

Brian Moynihan says the Merrill BofA combination “already works.” (Wall Street Journal)

JPMorgan’s balance sheet puts it in a position to challenge Goldman. (CNBC)

Goldman Sachs is NOT a great vampire wrapped around the face of humanity. (Reuters)

What was once nothing more than a conspiracy theory has now turned into a full blown public debate about manipulation and Goldman’s use of taxpayer bailout dollars. (Pragmatic Capitalist)

Former RBS derivatives head launching his own boutique. (Financial News)

Write-ups: coming soon to a bank near you? (DealBook)

What has healthcare banker Benjamin Lorello been worth to UBS? By one measure, about $540 million. (Wall Street Journal)