Guy Hands, over

WE WON’T HAVE GUY TO KICK AROUND ANYMORE: Hopefully, that is. It’s hard to see any bank or other investor ever again lending money to Guy Hands after his EMI disaster, which not only cost the financier and his investors tons of moolah but also drained $3.6 billion out of Citigroup’s coffers for backing him. But Hands didn’t go quietly, according to the N.Y. Post. Just this week, before Citi officially seized the firm, he was trying to get investors, including Simon Cowell's brother, to pour money into EMI to save it. "It was like the last days of the Nixon administration," quipped one source. Meanwhile, Guardian columnist Larry Elliott finds the timing of the Citigroup move “interesting. Terra Firma faced a covenant test in March but didn't need to put in more money until June. That suggests Citigroup has a buyer lined up: possibly Warner Music, if competition issues can be sorted—or maybe another private equity firm looking for a home for its cash.” (2/2a)