Private banking is for the world?s super wealthy, and banks will bend over backwards to get their hands on the large sums of money they can bring in.

Embossed chequebooks are the name of the game and there is absolutely no waiting in line to cash a cheque or wire money for the super-rich.

Coffee and drinks are provided without any fuss and nothing is too much trouble.

When asked if there were any special touches for such clients, Alan Thompson, chief executive officer of Bank of Butterfield, said: ?They like to deal with the same people and each customer is different. In some cases they say, ?I?m coming in, I want theatre tickets?, and some banks will make arrangements for things like that.

?It depends on how far you go, but there are personalised kinds of services. Some people like to come in and have a cup of coffee. But the key is to understand your client long enough to know what they like.?

Each customer will get a relationship manager, so if you want to wire money, do simple transactions, or look at any kind of banking product, they will sit down and help the client with that.

And of course this kind of banking relies heavily on the skill of its staff who are trained to deal with the wishes of their customers and are far more numerous than in ordinary retail banking.

Mr. Thompson said: ?The fundamental business model is that the earnings per client are higher so you can afford to spend more money keeping them.

?If you look at your average bank customer, they will earn ?x? amount, these people will earn, you know... ?y?. The business they do at the bank is worth so much to us, so we can afford to spend so much servicing them.?