For Barclay's, Global Ambitions Face Local Woes.

The article profiles the big British banking company Barclays PLC, which announced plans in 2005 to expand in the U.S., India, China and South Africa. It suggests that investors should remember that the company's U.K. retail banking business is a poor performer, rating near the bottom of customer-service surveys. The article discusses the performance of Barclays stock, which still is not cheaper than many of its peers. However, a depressed stock will continue to fuel speculation that the bank is a takeover target.