I used to work for a forex hedge fund, so I witnessed some of this trend (though primarily via my boss who had regular conversations with many banks). This trend is very real. Underlying it is the continual shift towards automation, but it was greatly amplified by both the financial crisis and then the forex scandals. We interacted with many former forex traders who had transitioned to a sales or support role. We also at times had trouble getting anything done with banks because everyone was seemingly fired or on leave due a scandal.