Lewis Moody: Chris Robshaw unlikely to be Eddie Jones’ captain, but new England head coach should keep him involved December 8, 2015 Former England captain Lewis Moody has called on Eddie Jones to keep under-fire skipper Chris Robshaw in the England set-up – even if, as seems likely, the new head coach strips him of the armband. Moody, too, has been the public face of World Cup disappointment, having led the Red Rose during their ill-fated trip [...]
Sexy Fish: Ivy tycoon Richard Caring transforms Mayfair bank into aquatic restaurant – with installations by Damien Hirst and a 13ft crocodile December 4, 2015 Restaurant tycoon Richard Caring, owner of Caprice Holdings, has launched a new aquatic-themed restaurant in Mayfair's Berkeley Square. Sexy Fish will – as the name implies – serve fish and seafood and sits on the site of an old NatWest banking hall. The restaurant will join Caprice Holding's growing list of London restaurants, which include The Ivy, Le Caprice and 34. [...]
The Help to Buy Isa for first-time buyers launches today: Here’s everything you need to know, including which banks and building societies will provide it and how much you can borrow December 1, 2015 It was now many moons ago that George Osborne introduced the Help to Buy Isa (Help to Buy-sa to its friends), which will give savers £50 for every £200 they save, up to £12,000. Nine months after it was first announced, the scheme is finally ready to be unveiled, with the launch slated for today. In other words: first-time [...]
NatWest says government’s new Help to Buy ISAs will help young customers November 27, 2015 NatWest has revealed that it will be one of the country’s first lenders to participate in the government’s new Help to Buy: ISA scheme. Starting next week, NatWest will offer customers accounts on the scheme, which will see the government topping up individuals’ savings when they purchase their first home. For every £200 an individual [...]
Buy-to-let is booming with more mortgage deals for landlords than ever but George Osborne’s tax changes will bite November 19, 2015 Buy to let is booming. Banks’ mortgage lending hit a post-crisis peak of £200bn last year so that “mortgage lending is currently enjoying its best spell since 2008,” says Bob Pannell of the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). Although mortgage lending figures remain well below their pre-crisis highs of £350bn in 2007, the number of [...]
Where can I use Apple Pay in the UK? The A-Z of shops, restaurants and apps which will accept mobile payment with iPhone 6 and 6 Plus November 17, 2015 Apple launched its mobile payment service, Apple Pay, in the UK in its first mobile payment move beyond the US, capitalising on the boom in mobile and contactless payments among consumers. iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users can now pay with just the tap of a smartphone, or Apple Watch, across the high street and [...]
Lloyds, HSBC, First Direct warn Apple Pay users: Storing other people’s fingerprints is like “giving out your pin” November 3, 2015 Store your spouse’s fingerprint on your phone? You could be in for a nasty surprise. UK banks are warning customers against the practice, announcing that if you wish to use Apple Pay, you must delete other people’s prints. Lloyds’ customers are warned in the bank’s terms and conditions: If Touch ID is available on your [...]
RBS is “cutting people off from their own money” and “starving businesses of both cash and credit,” says Move Your Money campaign October 30, 2015 Royal Bank of Scotland is the “worst” bank for branch closures, according to a new report out today. One in three British branch closures between 2014 and 2015 was at the hands of RBS or its sister brand, NatWest, according to the Move Your Money campaign. Accusing Britain’s biggest lender to small businesses of “abandoning [...]
In the market for disruption: SapientNitro chief executive Nigel Vaz on consumer expectations October 25, 2015 Most disruptive companies have certain characteristics in common. They adapt constantly to stay ahead of the curve, they are dedicated to digital and deliver excellent customer service. Nigel Vaz, global chief strategy officer and European chief executive of SapientNitro, likens such businesses to gryphons – mythical hybrids with the wings of an eagle and the [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland is rebranding (but you may not notice) October 12, 2015 What better way for banks to distance themselves from a disastrous decade of bailouts and the Libor scandals than a rebrand. Now Royal Bank of Scotland, or RBS as we know it on the high street, is taking a big step forward by, er, changing those three letters from upper case to lower case. Literally, "decapitalising", as the [...]