Lunchtime Links: Rush of people getting out to spend time with families

Maybe it's the summer. Or maybe it's the waxing and waning prospect of a European banking meltdown, but we have what appears to be a small surge in people leaving the industry, 'to spend more time with their family.'

Gina Germano, co-head of BlueBay's distressed debt fund is doing precisely this. The Financial Times reports that she announced her intention to depart 'out of the blue' in April, and 'could not be persuaded to stay on.'

Also leaving to spend more time on the school run is Richard Berliand, who's leaving at the end of this year to 'spend more time with his family and pursue personal interests.' There may be more of this behaviour if Q3 turns out badly.

Eurozone banks might not be so bad after all. (Alphaville)

Except the Landesbanks. (Bloomberg)

Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank rumoured to pass meaningless stress tests. (Naked Capitalism)

US scraps the $19bn bank fee, due to be levied over 10 years. (Financial Times)

"It would be a fiasco of tragic proportions if the banks managed to remove these taxes from the final bill." (Felix Salmon)

"A slow US recovery, ongoing sovereign debt issues in Europe, upcoming regulatory changes and uncertainty over earnings - the headwinds against a pick-up in M&A are increasing". (Financial Times)

The M&A slowdown may persist. (Bloomberg)

Global ECM issuance is at its lowest for five years. (Financial Times)

Goldman President Gary Cohn is dyslexic. (Wall Street Journal)

Four partners at GLG will collect $13.5m in severance pay if they are asked to leave after the Man takeover. (Financial News)

Top 20 US colleges offering the best return on investment. (Wall Street Journal)

Why traders should have large lunches. (NY Times)

People in warm countries are less intelligent because energy is diverted from the brain to fighting disease. (NY Times)