Five months ago, the rise of Gianpiero Fiorani looked unstoppable: the ambitious, well-connected provincial banker seemed to have pulled off a stunning coup, the hostile takeover by Banca Popolare Ital-iana (bpi), of which he was chief executive, of the much larger Banca Antoniana Popolare Veneta (Antonveneta). But Mr Fiorani's fall since then has been steep, culminating in his arrest on December 13th. Six days later it brought down a much grander figure: his friend and steadfast supporter in that bid, Antonio Fazio, governor of the Bank of Italy.
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