How intriguing. Just what were City minister Lord Myners and Commons Treasury Select Committee chairman John McFall talking about so animatedly the other night? The pair were spotted in deep and lengthy conversation at the launch of Gillian Tett's credit-crunch book, Fool's Gold, hosted by her paper, the Financial Times, at its offices this week.

Alas City Spy didn't gather what Myners and McFall were discussing but the timing was certainly interesting. Tomorrow McFall's committee publishes its report into the state of British banking, entitled Dealing With The Future of the UK Banks. The report is expected to draw on the evidence that Myners, ex-Royal Bank of Scotland boss Sir Fred Goodwin, and others gave to MPs in recent months. Doubtless Myners will be hoping he doesn't get too harsh a write-up from McFall's team...

* Gillian Tett had a good turnout for her launch. Along with Myners and McFall, there were ex-Citi chief Sir Win Bischoff, Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell, Lib-Dem Vince Cable and the BBC's Evan Davis.

* City Spy does have a fashion tip — Gillian, the high heels you were wearing at the party look like they might be a size too big for you.

Myners vs Goodwin – again

The entertaining feud between Sir Fred and Paul Myners took a new twist with the City minister claiming in the House of Lords that the shamed ex-RBS chief employed one member of staff solely to ensure that the ATMs in the bank's HQ in Scotland dispensed notes that bore Goodwin's signature. RBS denies it.

It is not entirely clear whether Myners' latest dig at Sir Fred was premeditated. The City minister was answering questions on the arcane subject of the money supply in Scotland when he was asked by Lord O'Neill of Clackmannan whether it was still OK to use the bank notes that bear Goodwin's signature.

Myners didn't answer that directly (it is still OK, by the way) but pointed out that new RBS boss Stephen Hester now signs the notes — and then he mentioned the ATM yarn as a one-line aside.

O'Neill will have been gratified. The ex-Labour MP began his career as a humble insurance clerk for Scottish Widows in the 1960s and went on to become a teacher in Scotland.

It's not hard to imagine what comrade O'Neill thinks of Sir Fred.

* This must be just a coincidence. The Sunday Times Rich List had two notable risers — the Candy brothers and Andrew Davis of Von Essen Hotels. It so happens that they both advertised in the supplement too.

* Julia Hobsbawm's Editorial Intelligence networking outfit has been analysing whether journalists were “ahead of the curve” in spotting the credit bubble and impending crunch. The newly published report gives the press, TV and bloggers a surprisingly clean bill of health, saying “the media led the way”.

While EI quotes many commentators who got it right early on, it also names some who didn't such as Anatole Kaletsky (“Britain will avoid an outright recession” — January 2008), Gerard Baker (“the US sneezes, the rest of the world no longer catches cold” — summer 2007) and Wolfgang Munchau (“a cut in interest rates would not resolve the problem” — February 2008). Since the Treasury and the Bank of England said the same thing, at least the hacks were in good company.

Mandy's old banger plan might just work

A sliver of good news for the beleaguered car industry. A Yahoo survey for the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says that despite recession, almost a quarter of 6000 consumers polled would consider buying a car in the next six months. Of those, 38% would buy a brand new car while 62% would opt for a used one. This just might be a sign that Business Secretary Peter Mandelson's pet project — the £2000 Government “old banger” car scrappage scheme — could encourage people to trade in their old motor and buy again.

* City Spy is bemused by the latest US fashion trend: unemployment. Entrepreneurs have launched bracelets, in the style of charity wristbands, emblazoned with the slogan Laid Off — Need a Job. So far, 4500 have been sold, as well as T-shirts printed with the wearer's CV and cover letter on front and back. But maybe they're not as ridiculous as they sound — some jobless types have apparently landed interviews after having their job-seeking kit spotted by employers.

* More bizarre job-seeking ideas: A US entrepreneur has set up a company selling business cards made of, er, beef jerky. “These business cards have two ingredients: meat and lasers,” claims the marketing blurb, the lasers being used to “sear” the holder's information on the beef. Gives new meaning to providing something for firms to chew over.