The desire to be better is very strong," said Sir Brian, who enthused about the importance of giving people the opportunity to make decisions.An example is pay differentials in the branches, which used to be dictated by a centralised personnel system: "Managers used to say, `We have too many underperformers in this place - head office should do something about them'. That is another thing that has changed in banking.But why does Sir Brian focus on Coca-Cola as a role model? There are other world beaters, he concedes as an afterthought, but not many of them. General Electric is the only other worthy target whose name he is prepared to mention "A brilliantly successful company," he says. Lloyds regularly exchanges information with a small group of top companies, including at least one in the motor industry.The problem in seeking conventional benchmarks against which to compare the Lloyds TSB group is that financial services firms have not been particularly good performers over the past 15 years.The Lloyds board looked first at UK banking and insurance and then expanded its comparisons to the worldwide financial industry, but could not find any companies that had been consistently top flight over several business cycles. Now it is a phrase on every chief executive's lips.During Sir Brian's period as chief executive, which began in 1983, Lloyds' market capitalisation has risen from pounds 1bn to more than pounds 20bn. Sir Brian's reward yesterday for transforming a staid, old clearing bank into what is widely acknowledged as Britain's most dynamic retail financial services empire, selling both banking and insurance, was to be promoted to the chairmanship.In the old days, clearing banks chose their chairmen from the upper reaches of the establishment and their chief executives from long-serving bankers who started at the bottom of the ladder, with the professionals excluded from the chairman's seat. Indeed, many management consultants and business schools have long had the group and its predecessor, Lloyds Bank, high on their lists of successful case studies.It was one of the first quoted companies publicly to make shareholder value a key objective of management.

"But if we can keep up with Coca- Cola it would be a considerable achievement."Other British bankers, pressed to say which companies they most admire, are more likely to cite Lloyds TSB than Coca-Cola. He is not, of course, dropping a hint that Lloyds TSB will soon be selling brown fizzy liquids in its branches. "You might think it very strange for us to compare ourselves with a soft drinks company," Sir Brian said. Sir Brian is a great admirer of Coca-Cola's performance in creating value for shareholders, building a top-flight cadre of managers, and achieving high ratings for customer satisfaction and employee relations. Ask Sir Brian Pitman which well-known companies he would like Lloyds TSB to emulate and the first name that springs to the lips of the group's new chairman is the Coca-Cola company, just about as far from banking as it is possible to get.

To pursue them in the face of the jury's unanimous verdict in the first trial would test both the public's confidence and the integrity of the system."Legal sources suggested yesterday that it would be difficult for the DTI to launch any kind of action, if it were minded to do so, against Kevin Maxwell, after the judge's comments.The inspectors were asked to investigate "the affairs and membership" of Mirror Group and, in particular, the flotation of 49 per cent of the group's shares, which raised pounds 245.5m from investors in 1991.One of the key issues the report is expected to focus on is who gave assurances that there would be a "ring fence" separating Mirror Group from other Maxwell interests, whether it was correct to give this assurance and the extent to which the assurance was used in pre-flotation publicity to reassure potential investors in the flotation.. He said: "I have reached a very clear view that these proceedings serve no further public interest. The brothers argued before the first trial that they should not be interviewed while criminal proceedings were outstanding.Ian Maxwell received a letter from the DTI inspectors earlier this week asking him to attend an interview with them. Kevin Maxwell has not received a letter, but is expecting one.The DTI refused to comment, saying only that the inspectors were continuing their investigations.Keith Oliver, of solicitors Peters & Peters, representing Kevin Maxwell, said no approach had been made by the inspectors since the abandonment of the trial on Thursday.The second obstacle is the strength of Mr Justice Buckley's comments when dismissing the second trial. It had been assumed that once criminal proceedings were out of the way, the report could be published. The inspectors, Mr Justice Thomas and Raymond Turner, a partner with accountants Neville Russell, have now started the "provisional criticisms" process.