British Business Bank’s oversight of Greensill was ‘woefully inadequate’ with £335m of taxpayers’ money at risk November 20, 2021 A new report has warned that up to £335m of taxpayers’ money is at risk due to failures by the British Business Bank to properly scrutinise bust lender Greensill Capital. The Public Accounts Committee of MPs found that the bank, which oversaw the billions lent to businesses during the pandemic in loans backed by the [...]
Treasury extends CLBILS loan size to £200m as total support hits £32bn May 26, 2020 The Treasury is extending the CLBILS loan size to £200m after announcing more than £32bn in loans and guarantees have been awarded to UK firms. Chancellor Rishi Sunak today announced that businesses have benefitted from over £32bn in loans and guarantees to support them during the coronavirus crisis. With lockdown restrictions limiting business, Sunak introduced [...]
One in seven SME owners using personal savings to keep businesses afloat during pandemic June 10, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic is leading small business owners to take drastic steps to keep their companies afloat, according to a new survey, with one in seven small business owners digging into their own pockets to ensure their business survives. Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in the UK have come under intense pressure during the [...]
TSB swings to a loss due to rise in impairment charges July 31, 2020 TSB has reported a £66m pre-tax loss as credit impairment charges increased by £87.5m in the first half of the year. The figures TSB reported a statutory loss before tax of £65.5m, compared to a pre-tax profit of £21.1m in the first half of 2019. The bank said credit impairment charges increased by £87.5m, which [...]
Fraud convictions on the up as post-Covid-19 crackdown begins November 1, 2021 An increase in post-Covid-19 fraud checks by the Insolvency Service has seen the number of company directors convicted of fraud spike, according to new research. The number of directors convicted of criminal activity has increased to 122 in the year to the end of September, a 205 per cent hike on 2020 levels. Mazars, the [...]
Government must tackle £35bn corporate debt crisis, warn City bosses July 16, 2020 The government must take urgent action to prevent a wave of defaults on £35bn of corporate debt taken on during coronavirus wreaking havoc in the economy, a new report backed by some of the City’s biggest names has said. Policymakers should create a “UK Recovery Corporation” to turn risky debts into more manageable forms like [...]
City of London Corporation chief says 19 July will ‘restore vibrancy’ in capital July 13, 2021 The City of London’s local authority welcomed the government’s announcement that “Freedom Day” will go ahead next week, helping the capital to bounce back from the pandemic. Catherine McGuinness, the City of London Corporation’s policy chair, said: “This is a light at the end of the tunnel for the many City businesses desperate to return [...]
Tesco sees profit drop despite surge in lockdown sales October 7, 2020 Tesco’s operating profit fell 15.6 per cent in the first six months of the year in new chief executive Ken Murphy’s debut set of results. Profit at the supermarket dropped from £1.23bn to £1.04bn, with a jump in sales due to the coronavirus pandemic weighed down by a hefty loss at Tesco Bank. On a [...]
Metro Bank shares fall despite rise in customer deposits May 6, 2020 Metro Bank experienced a lull in lending over its first quarter but customer deposits jumped by £77m since the end of December, it told investors today. Customers ignored lower interest rates on deposits to store more money with Metro Bank to bring deposits to £14.55bn over the first three months of 2020. Meanwhile, net lending [...]
Letters: Festive cheer in short supply December 16, 2021 [Re:New virus rules pass, yesterday] For many small businesses, the run up to Christmas was to be the saving grace of 2021. Even before Omicron arrived, that just didn’t turn out to be the case, with supply chain issues, fuel and energy costs, finance costs and delays across sectors leading to a big mountain to [...]