HSBC scandal takes the spark out of the FTSE – London Report February 9, 2015 THE UK’s top share index edged lower yesterday, hurt by a fall in HSBC after the bank admitted tax failings at its Swiss unit and by softer utility stocks. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index was down 0.2 per cent, or 16.29 points, at 6,837.15 points by the close, with United Utilities, National Grid and Severn Trent [...]
The British love affair with Bordeaux is here to stay September 26, 2015 The UK has traditionally been a nation of claret-lovers, dating as far back as the 12th century when Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry Plantagenet. Eager to please his French subjects, King Henry II decreed that any ship sailing from Bordeaux would be exempt from export tax. By the 14th century, England, Scotland and Ireland were [...]
RBS to receive £1.1bn from US hedge fund Cerberus for Irish home loans portfolio December 16, 2014 Royal Bank of Scotland will raise £1.1bn from the sale of a portfolio of Irish real estate loans to hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management. The distressed assets generated losses equal to £800m for RBS in 2013, primarily due to impairment, and the lender now says it will use the sale proceeds for general corporate [...]
Bank of England analysts believe Twitter could help predict a bank run, early signs of unemployment data and market movements August 18, 2015 Bank of England analysts believe Twitter and other social media give “much potential for central banks” to predict market movements, indicate unemployment data ahead of time and even give signs of an impending bank run. In the run-up to the Scottish independence referendum a team of analysts and IT experts within the BoE built [...]
Stonewall top 100 employers: Finance firms among the UK’s best LGBT employers January 14, 2015 Lloyds Banking Group has been named the most inclusive employer in the banking and finance sector, and the third most inclusive employer in the UK, by gay rights organisation Stonewall. Seven companies in the sector were named in the Workplace Equality Index, including RBS (at number 27) and American Express (at 51). Insurer Aviva (number 15) [...]
HSBC needs to re-learn its ABCs, or better still, its KYCs February 18, 2015 PLAC, CRD-4, the FCA and the PRA: but for HSBC, the most important acronym in the banking lexicon right now is KYC (Know Your Customer). Since inheriting the reins of Europe’s largest bank four years ago, Stuart Gulliver has rarely been out of his firefighter’s overalls. On many of those occasions it was the bank’s [...]
Greek debt fear makes banks drag FTSE down – London Report January 27, 2015 BANKS led the FTSE 100 index lower yesterday as they slipped on concerns the Greek crisis could spread while miners fell with weaker metals prices. It ended the blue-chip index’s eight-session run to a four-month high on Monday. Mid-cap oil producer Afren plunged 71 per cent after saying it was in talks with its largest [...]
Allan Leighton confirmed as Co-op chairman February 19, 2015 ALLAN Leighton has no qualms about taking the toughest jobs in business. The self-style pluralist has experienced several, including Leeds United (where he organised a rescue takeover) and Asda (which he turned around after near-bankruptcy) to name a couple. The boardroom veteran added another to his list yesterday after the Co-operative Group confirmed the appointment [...]
Budget 2016: George Osborne’s speech in full March 16, 2016 George Osborne has just revealed the Budget for 2016. There was good news for businesses with corporation tax being sliced and business rates being reformed – but bad news for smokers and students who hate maths. Mr Deputy Speaker, Today I report on an economy set to grow faster than any other major advanced economy in [...]
RBS to put Aldgate office block up for sale with £90m price tag November 27, 2014 The Royal Bank of Scotland is close to putting one of its office buildings in Aldgate up for sale, as it looks to cut costs and tap into booming demand for property in London’s Tech City area. The bank has lined up agents at DTZ to sell Aldgate Union on Whitechapel High Street, with offers [...]