The dasterdly Dutchmen in Amsterdam have seen fit to tamper with Ireland's financial heritage with their decision to dispense with the Riada name for their Irish stockbroking subsidiary.

A common corporate identity might be all the rage for those banks whose operations straddle various countries, but are those of us who write about the industry expected to dispense with good old Riada and adopt the alphabet soup of ABNAMRO Stockbrokers?

What's next? Is AIB going to dispense with the Goodbody name and recreate Allied Irish Stockbrokers or Securities. Probably not given AIB's experience with the original AIS! And what about Bank of Ireland and Davy's. The Margin can't see the chaps in Dawson Street going along with any wheeze dreamed up in head office to interfere with the venerable J&E.

NCB might not be the most descriptive name for a firm of stockbrokers what was so wrong with National City Brokers? but it has enough of a cachet that owners Ulster would probably think twice about a rechristening.