Making a molehill of gossip from a mountain of news
Don't you know who I am?
The second annual Federation of Black Housing Organisations' shindig in London was a joy. Or, at least, it would have been if your humble scribe hadn't been accidentally left off the guest list.

There was no getting past the ladies on the door and so I spent a miserable hour in the lobby of the Meridien Piccadilly, gazing sadly at glasses of wine being carried through for the favoured few, before my host showed up. Then, though, I was ushered into the inner sanctum for an enjoyable evening of elevated conversation and certain people dropping their awards when a little the worse for wear.

Hello goodbye
Talk about a warm welcome to the job: no sooner had Jon Rouse been unveiled

as the new chief executive at the Housing Corporation than the staff voted to go out on strike on Monday over pay.

However, the former supremo at the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment was unphased, confiding to pals last week: "I won't take it personally."

Diners clubbed
Brighton councillors have breathed a sigh of relief since infamous property magnate Nicholas van Hoogstraten disappeared from the scene. The Brighton landlord, who walked free from the Court of Appeal in December last year after being found innocent of any part in a high-profile murder case, is thought to have pulled out of tenanted properties and consolidated his holdings in hotels. But he is keeping a low profile and can no longer be spotted at his former lair, a window-side table in one of his most upmarket hotels.

"Good thing too," commented one councillor, "otherwise I might have been tempted to get hold of a gun and shoot him though the window."

Rage against the dying of the light
This week's award for egregious antisocial behaviour orders goes to Alexander Muat, who at 87 years old is believed to be the oldest person to be imprisoned for allegedly breaching an antisocial behaviour order.

Muat was remanded in custody after his neighbours reported being spat and sworn at on numerous occasions since the ASBO was granted last July. His court hearing is due to begin this Monday.

Loans on the range
HSBC's record £7.8bn profit may cheer its directors, but a significant part of the profit came from the acquisition of a US firm called Household International, which specialises in lending to people with poor credit histories.

In December it was fined $500m for charging people far more than they expected for their loans and was told to limit prepayment penalties, limit origination fees to 5% and make sure its loan terms were fair and accurate.

Keep it in the family

Working in the public sector might not yield private jets, six-figure bonuses or company holidays in Barbados – but it does have some perks. News has reached me that the esteemed chief executive of one of the sector’s largest housing associations has put his mother-in-law up in one of the association’s homes. What better way for a chief executive to demonstrate his confidence in the way things at the association are being run?