For instance, he forecast that tornadoes, hurricanes and perhaps a meteor would strike Disney World in Orlando because it hosts gay events. Mr Robertson is a controversial figure in the US, hugely popular amongst conservative Christians but loathed by the political centre and left. He has put himself in the spotlight not just for his statements about gays and other religions, but by a series of legal actions that have, in effect, told him to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s – or, in other words, to pay his taxes.His views on gays have embarrassed even his followers on occasions. The Christian Coalition, the religious and political group which he founded, has 1.8 million members, 1,900 chapters and brings in tens of millions of dollars in donations every year.

If what Bank of Scotland is looking for is someone with expertise in communication, modern campaigning techniques and a grasp of technology, then Mr Robertson certainly has his attractions.But that is balanced by his public image. His varied activities over the past decade have prompted many to ask which pursuit comes first for him, and how far his different activities are kept separate.Mr Robertson is a hugely wealthy man who lives on a mountain in Virginia. “They [the British media] make the American press look like choir boys. I’m proud of my Scottish heritage but that pride has been somewhat diminished over recent weeks.”So who is Mr Robertson, and why do so many Scots find him so objectionable? These are just some of Mr Robertson’s views: he thinks gays are Satanists, that Presbyterians are the “spirit of the Anti-Christ”, and that Hindus and Muslims are inferior to Christians.Pat Robertson is a businessman, a politician and a religious leader, and about as controversial as you can get in each sphere. “I’m just appalled by the distortion”, he has been quoted as saying. Mr Robertson, it is claimed, has in the past been able to divert hurricanes with the power of prayer, and if he can do that, surely he should be able weather this gale.But, with the bank’s share price beginning to suffer, and the possibility that the current comparatively limited protest could grow into something more damaging, doubts are beginning to creep in.Certainly the normally thick-skinned Mr Robertson has been shocked to his core by the degree of hostility.

Mr Robertson, they say, is a bigot, whose anti- gay, anti-feminist and often extreme right-wing views should have set warning lights flashing among the staid grey suits at Bank of Scotland.Both the bank and Mr Robertson are determined to ride the storm. Bank of Scotland’s association with Mr Robertson has turned into a public relations disaster of monumental proportions. Hundreds of students, union leaders, politicians and church activists have declared a boycott of Bank of Scotland in protest, and the link-up has been almost universally condemned in the Scottish press.Some protesters have handcuffed themselves to the railings of the bank’s Edinburgh headquarters. It seemed like a deal made in heaven.Except that this is not how it turned out. The millions of God- fearing Americans who regularly tune in to watch Mr Robertson’s shows offered a captive, and potentially very lucrative market. The idea of setting up a low-cost online bank in the US with Mr Robertson responsible for the promotion, seemed just too good to resist.Going online is regarded as very much the way forward for retail banking and it offers new entrants such as Bank of Scotland the opportunity to establish a market position at virtually no cost.

It was uncanny, almost as if this venture had been preordained.For Bank of Scotland, Mr Robertson also seemed to offer unparalleled opportunities. He is one of America’s most accomplished TV evangelists, as well as a highly successful businessman in his own right. The year that Bank of Scotland was founded, 1695, was also the date when Mr Robertson’s ancestor, the Rev James Robertson, set sail from Scotland for the New World. For Mr Robertson’s particular brand of religious conservatism, it appeared the ideal partner.There was also a sentimental reason for Mr Robertson to forge links. One of Britain’s most venerable and sober financial institutions, it is the oldest existing UK clearing bank, having been first established in 1695, and has a reputation for the kind of Scottish Calvinist solidity which places reputation before risk and regards gambling with its pounds 60bn of assets as a moral sin rather than a corporate opportunity.
Its chairman goes by the title of Governor, a position which, in theory if not in practice, is equal to that of the Governor of the Bank of England, and it prints its own bank notes. LEGAL NOTE: Please see Dr Robertson’s Right of Reply on 28 May He denies making bigoted statements.