Rogue trader_s reputation: a mix of bravado and humility.

Rogue trader Nick Leeson walked out of a Singapore prison Saturday, four years after bringing down Britain_s oldest commercial bank and sending shock waves through Asia_s giddy financial world. Wearing a broad smile, T-shirt and warmup pants, the 32-year-old Briton was immediately taken to the airport, where security officers whisked him through passport control and put him on a commercial flight to London. Leeson spent nearly 3 years at Tanah Merah prison, convicted of fraudulently hiding $1.4 billion in losses at Barings Bank. His unauthorized futures trading made him one of the decade_s most notorious white-collar criminals. Now the subject of a book and film, Leeson has gained celebrity status. But his personality remains an enigma, his reputation an odd mix of loutish bravado and good-natured humility. Leeson, who failed math in high school, pushed his way into the financial world as a low-salaried clerk for Britain_s dignified Coutts and Co. bank in 1985. He moved to U.S. bankers Morgan Stanley in 1987, and then to Barings in London in 1989. After his trading losses were discovered, he fled Singapore but was caught in Frankfurt, Germany, and brought back to the island republic. His lawyer, Stephan Pollard, said Leeson would "certainly get a job as soon as is practicable" but cautioned that it would be difficult after spending time in prison. Newspapers reportedly have been vying to get an interview with Leeson for a six-figure sum, while the movie based on his case, "Rogue Trader," premiered last week in London before a star-studded audience.