Pembroke: Decline and fall of Sid

WHEN the venture capital group 3i said it was aiming its float at Jeremys rather than Sids - as used in the British Telecom flotation - many mocked its snooty attitude.

But it seems to have worked. YorkShare, a division of the Yorkshire Building Society, says it has so far received 21 share applications from Jeremys but not one from a Sid.

'Clearly Sid has realised that the issue is unsuitable for him, whereas Jeremy has dived in,' it adds.

THE WORLD CUP has provided a huge bonanza for the spread betting agencies. City dealers have been wagering their wedge on everything from the number of yellow cards in the tournament to the aggregate shirt numbers of goalscorers in each match.

'It's been a fantastic market,' beams Jonathan Sparke at City Index. 'I thought that with England not in it the interest might be a bit muted, but not a bit of it.'

There was heavy selling of Argentina on Friday after the combination of the Maradona mayhem and the defeat by Bulgaria. One agency said it had taken a number of pounds 1,000 trades on Friday morning alone. So there you are: sell Diego, buy Romario.

ANYONE calling Barclaycard, the credit card company, with an inquiry is given the third degree to check their identity.

'Account number, please,' rap the operators. Name, address, phone number, date of birth, do you normally settle the entire account each month or only part?

Barclaycard tells me that many male customers are so surprised by the detail required that they offer to tell the (mostly female) operators their inside leg measurement too.

'You'd be surprised how often that is volunteered,' the credit card group says. 'Some men must think it is something to be proud of.'