Cuts are said to have gone down in Bob Diamond's den yesterday. "FYI: layoffs yesterday at Barclays Capital. Lev Fin was hit hard (though Barclays was nice enough to do the cuts after bonuses were handed down, in addition to giving 1-month's pay)."

The aforementioned layoffs are said to begin this week. "FYI: BofA cuts are expected to start Thursday, thought to be 20% across the board in IB. All levels affected but with 2nd and 3rd year VPs who are not going to make director, of which there is a glut, hit especially hard. If you're a first year VP (without acct coverage responsibilities), you're probably going into the superpods."

Cuts were said to have gone down at the House of Dougan this week. "Layoffs at Credit Suisse this week, mostly Wednesday and Thursday. ASO / VP level in IBD groups in New York (TMT, Energy, Industrials, Sponsors)."

Cuts are said to be coming in the near-ish future. "More layoffs are expected to take place within the next 2-3 weeks with at least 10pct cuts across the board in sales, research and trading. Morale has reached a new all-time low (hard to imagine it could become lower?) and at this point many have the attitude that if they get out now at least they'll get a package out of it."

London employees are not the only ones being sat down for uncomfortable conversations. "FYI: Heavy cuts at Nomura across banking and equities today in the US as well."

Cuts are going down at the House of Dougan today. From the front lines: "Layoffs started at Credit Suisse this morning, across the investment bank. All levels affected, including a good amount of senior guys." Apparently these reductions are part of a round cuts announced last year and were to be expected (though the "let's have a chat" from HR this morning may still have been a slight surprise for those being asked to take a seat).

The cuts aren't said to be too significant but good luck telling that to the people who'll no longer be receiving quality Cohn-crotch time. Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street bank that generated 58 percent of first-half revenue from sales and trading, eliminated 20 to 30 jobs in that division this week, according to a person briefed on the matter. The cuts affected salespeople and traders in the U.S., with most taking place in New York, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the reductions aren’t being announced publicly. The decision is part of a continuous review of staffing levels amid difficult markets, the person said. Goldman Sachs Said To Cut More Than 20 In Sales, Trading [Bloomberg]

Cuts are said to have gone down with more a-comin'. Barclays PLC is cutting about 50 employees from its equities business, the latest effort by the British bank to reduce costs at its investment-banking arm. A week ago, the U.K. lender announced internally that about 10% of the jobs at its equities business across Europe, Africa and the Middle East would be lost, a person familiar with the matter said Friday. During the first half of the year, Barclays's equities and prime services business, which employs about 500 people, saw revenue fall 12% on the year to £973 million ($1.57 billion). The business has suffered as market volumes have dried up in recent quarters...The work-force reduction could be a taste of things to come for Barclays's investment bank. At the beginning of 2009, former Barclays Chief Executive Bob Diamond hired more than 400 bankers, mainly in equities and research, as part of a drive to turn the predominately debt-focused bank into a multi-asset powerhouse. Following Mr. Diamond's departure in the wake of a rate-fixing probe, new CEO Antony Jenkins has started a review of the bank's businesses to assess their profitability and whether and how they affect the lender's reputation. This, combined with tougher regulatory requirements, is expected to result in Barclays shrinking its investment bank, analysts say. Barclays To Cut 50 Equities Jobs [WSJ]