We can all sense a dislike amongst the media of banks, but why is this? Is it because banks behave badly, as they have been proven, or is it because we are bad with managing our money, which is also the case. What is state of personal finance in the UK? To find out, the Financial Services Club gathers three of the most pre-eminent personal finance commentators to review the state of banking in Britain.

• Annie Shaw, Personal Finance Columnist and founder of Cashquestions.com
  · Kevin Mountford, Head of Banking, Moneysupermarket.com
  · Sarah Pennells, Founder, Savvywoman.co.uk

Annie Shaw is a highly-respected industry figure with 20 years' journalism experience. The founder of CashQuestions, and former editor of the Sunday Telegraph's property section, Annie has been a staff journalist for The Times and financial agony aunt for the Independent on Sunday. She is currently a freelance personal finance writer for a range of national newspapers, and is a frequent broadcaster on personal finance and the credit crunch on radio and television. She writes the Money Matters section for the Daily Express. She holds a full Financial Planning Certificate and, in 2011, was shortlisted for headlinemoney's Consumer Champion of the Year award.

Kevin Mountford has over 20 years’ experience in Financial Services working across a wide range of senior management & executive roles in business & retail banking, the building society sector and most recently for the leading comparison website. During his time working in the banking world he has been employed by a number of large UK brands including Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Birmingham Midshires, where he was Head of Sales and Marketing for their Savings business. He has built up extensive knowledge from sales and marketing roles and as ‘Head of Affinities’ for HBOS he managed a wide range of third party relationships providing credit cards, loans and savings products to the likes of AA, Aviva, Sony, British Gas and many others.

During his four years working for moneysupermarket.com he has managed and developed the banking, mortgages and credit card channels and has established himself as one of the leading ‘Money’ spokespeople across both print and broadcast media.

Sarah Pennells was employed by the BBC as a reporter and producer, working for Radio 4's Moneybox, the Today programme and Radio 5 Live's Wake up to Money and went freelance in 1999. She has created and launched a new money website for women called savvywoman.co.uk, aimed at smart women who want more from their money. Sarah has also had three books published, and appeared as the consumer and personal finance reporter on BBC1's Saturday Breakfast programme for four years.

Sarah has also worked as a freelance reporter for BBC weekday Breakfast, BBC World Business Report, Radio 4's consumer programme You and Yours and Radio 4's Moneybox.

She also contributes to and has written for a number of newspapers and magazines. These include: 'Ideal Home', 'Good Housekeeping', 'She', 'Woman and Home', 'The Lady', 'London Evening Standard Homes and Property supplement', 'Moneywise', 'Financial Mail on Sunday', 'Saturday Independent', 'Saturday Telegraph' and 'Shares'.