Somebody was suffering from fat finger syndrome at Davy stockbrokers yesterday. They could well have a fat lip this morning, following an embarrassing error that has left some of its well-heeled private clients fuming, from what I hear.
An equity briefing note is sent out via email each morning to a list that includes many of the blue-blooded broker’s rich private clients. It is separate from the usual morning note sent out to general subscribers, such as journalists.
Somebody from Davy inadvertently forgot to use the “blind carbon copy” function yesterday to hide the names of the recipients, and at least 1,100 of them were laid bare for all to see. They included many well-known figures from the worlds of business and sport who are Davy clients.
Private clients are, well, rather private. Most don’t want it widely known they have so much loot that they need a stockbroker to manage it all. Not in in these austere times.
Davy said it “apologises unreservedly” for the “human error”, and has put controls in place to prevent a repeat. It insists it is not necessarily a client list, and more of a subscriber list.
“No client or financial data is ever sent via email,” it said.
Still, not quite Davy’s finest hour.