Goldman Sachs chief Lloyd Blankfein is the latest leader of a major financial firm to acknowledge the growing public loathing of bankers.

While stopping well short of an apology, Blankfein said there was "broad public anger" at the financial industry, and many people think "Wall Street lost sight of its broader public obligations".

"I have never seen a wider gulf between the financial services industry and the public," he wrote in testimony he will give to an inquiry in Washington. "Many people believe - and, in many cases, justifiably so - that Wall Street lost sight of its larger public obligations and allowed certain trends and practices to undermine the financial system's stability."

Blankfein said Goldman is "committed" to restoring "stability and vitality" to the financial industry.

He and the heads of seven other financial-industry firms are to testify today before the House Financial Services Committee, and account for how they have spent Government aid. The eight companies received a total of $165 billion (£114 billion).