Danny Dankner

Danny Dankner is the chairman of Bank Hapoalim's board of directors, and as such he participates in all credit committees, is up to date on the entire economy and is responsible for the pipeline that delivers money for business activity to a large portion of enterprises in Israel. Dankner also has connections to one of the most powerful personalities in the Israeli economy, his cousin Nochi Dankner - a connection that has proved mutually profitable.

Dankner stepped into his position a year and 10 months ago, after the bank's controlling shareholder, Shari Arison, ousted its former chairman, Shlomo Nehama. Stepping into his new job, Dankner positioned himself as her lackey and asked Prof. Amir Barnea to resign from the bank's board due to disputes with controlling shareholders.

Dankner has spent recent months mainly in a mudslinging competition, a battle of versions, between Hapoalim's top officers, past and present, over the question of who is responsible for the failed investment in mortgage-backed securities that have already forced the bank to write off losses of more than NIS 1 billion.

The bank, which once boasted the slogan "being first place comes with an obligation," found itself second to Bank Leumi as a result. The affair has lead to a crisis of trust between Dankner and investors and to a class action over handling of the affair by bank officers. Dankner has been the target of sharp criticism over the fact that he chose not to resign, and even took home a bonus (although a relatively small one, for the bank.)