Fortis: The weakest link

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. That’s why all eyes are on Fortis as the Belgo-Dutch bank decides whether to push the button on a consortium bid for ABN Amro. Compared with its fellow consortium members, Royal Bank of Scotland and Santander, it would be biting off by far the biggest mouthful relative to its own size. But how weak is the Fortis link in this chain of banks? It is hard to say, not least because the consortium has said almost nothing about its financial plans or ab...