JIM SPOWART, newly recruited from Standard Life Bank by Halifax to run its upcoming direct bank, wasted no time in poaching ex-colleagues from his previous employer, as well as Direct Line Financial Services where he also worked. He will be joined by no fewer than fourteen senior managers from both companies, including Stephen McCrory and Julie McClelland from DLFS, who have enlisted respectively as development director and product development director. [Are DLFS and SLB now booting the backsides of whoever drafted their seemingly ineffectual executive service contracts?]