To the best of my knowledge Birbeck exclusively offers part-time courses. It is for this reason that, similarly to the Open University, it is ignored by all newspaper rankings. Consequentially, it is somewhat difficult to draw qualitative or reputational comparisons with other "ranked" institutions -- though any such comparisons founded on arbitrary rankings compiled by those chronic stoners at the Guardian (the Times as well, but to a marginally slighter extent) who deem it fit to place Bradford in the Top 10 for economics (and law - despite the fact that its law course is of very recent inception and will only commence officially from September 2005) should, in any case, be taken with a gargantuan pinch of salt.
I would have thought that City, despite its exctruciating location and (perceived) academic shortcomings in some of the subjects it offers, is very well reputed for financially-inclined courses. With regards to Essex, although their economic department did receive a 5 rating in the last RAE, thus allegedly indicating its academic soundness, anecdotal experience of a friend of mine who went there (and left after one year) suggests that there is not much truth to be found in the RAE results. Apparently, the course is crap, the university is crap, the people in the university are crap (I tend to abhor generalisation, though in this case it may not be entirely unfounded) and, last but most definitely not least, Essex is crap. My question to you is: would you really consider spending three years of your invaluable existence stuck in Essex, not exactly a World Heritage site ?