>> The one thing holding me back the most, and probably the reason I didn't land a job sooner was that in contracting land, you're expected to start pretty much the next day, and I had a 2-4 week wait before becoming available.

This can be true, but can also be a load of cobblers from recruitment agents. On top of that if you contract in banking, the reference/background/credit checks take at least 2-3 weeks anyway.

>> Oh, and don't trust recruiters. They're a necessary evil.

I'd change that to "don't trust all recruiters". If you can find a good one that tells you the truth, stick with them.