Circle of trust: Can IFAs rescue financial services' reputation?

Trust is a tricky thing, hard to gain, easy to lose, difficult to quantify. It's also the most vital facet of the financial services industry. Banks need customers to trust that they will safeguard their assets in an account until needed; insurers, that they will pay out in the event of a crisis; advisers, that they will guide decisions about what to do with hard-earned money that can make or break a future. However, some participants in each of these markets of the financial sector have broken the circle of trust they have with consumers; Northern Rock, payment protection insurance, ...