Royal Bank of Scotland commemorates QEII May 23, 2012 Patriotic celebration, or quantitative easing by the back door? The Royal Bank of Scotland has unveiled its contribution to the Diamond Jubilee festivities in the form of a commemorative £10 note. The bailed-out bank yesterday showed its appreciation for its de facto owner with £2m worth of royal purple and green tenners. RBS needed to [...]
Ministers pour cold water on RBS share giveaway proposals February 17, 2013 CONSERVATIVE ministers yesterday dismissed claims that they are ready to privatise RBS by handing shares to the public before 2015, despite Lib Dem backing for the plan. Reports over the weekend suggested the coalition was willing to sell off the bank’s shares to the public at a discount or even give them away ahead of [...]
We must stop using water bills as a limitless environmental credit card October 31, 2013 WHILE all attention has been focused on rising energy bills, Britain’s water industry is facing its own troubles – with its recent history characterised by drought orders, hosepipe bans, and tariff hikes. But the efficiency of the UK water supply is an issue that can no longer be ignored. There is new management at water [...]
Property fraudster jailed for seven years January 17, 2013 FAKE property tycoon Achilleas Kallakis (above) was yesterday sentenced to seven years in jail for defrauding Allied Irish Banks and Bank of Scotland out of over £700m, and co-defendant Alexander William was jailed for five years. The judge said the banks deserved some blame for poor risk controls, after approving loans based on fake guarantees.
Carpetright eyes Dreams January 21, 2013 FLOOR covering retailer Carpetright is understood to be one of a number of bidders circling beleaguered bed maker Dreams. Accountancy firm Ernst & Young has been hired to handle the sale process for the bed retailer, which was put up for sale before Christmas by main lender Royal Bank of Scotland. Private equity firm Exponent [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 23 September 2013 September 22, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Twitter seeks pre-IPO credit line Twitter is in discussions with banks about a new credit facility that could run into hundreds of millions of dollars, giving the internet company extra flexibility ahead of its initial public offering. High quality global journalism requires investment. Sources familiar with the discussions say that Twitter is in [...]
Brutal slavery epic is destined for awards January 9, 2014 FILM 12 YEARS A SLAVE Cert 15 | By Simon Thomson Five Stars STEVE McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave is a brilliant film, but its brutality makes for difficult viewing. That might be the point. Based on a memoir of the same name, the book’s subtitle offers a succinct, albeit bloodless, summary of the film: [...]
Harvey Nash lifts dividend as profits grow February 13, 2013 GLOBAL specialist recruiter Harvey Nash said yesterday it plans to increase its final dividend by 10 per cent after it posted a slight increase in full-year profits, adding that its full-year results would be ahead of expectations. Pre-tax profit at the firm, which specialises in technology and IT service roles, is expected to rise to [...]
Kennedy Wilson and Varde buy UK shopping centres for £250m September 5, 2013 US PROPERTY investment and services firm Kennedy Wilson and debt specialist Varde Partners yesterday agreed to buy a portfolio of eight UK shopping centres out of administration for $388m (£250m). Kennedy Wilson did not disclose which shopping malls they had acquired but said they were spread across England and Scotland and spanned a total of [...]
TSB opens doors as bank prepares Lloyds spin off September 8, 2013 THE NEW TSB Bank will open its doors to customers this morning, as the spin-off from Lloyds Banking Group unveils its rebranded high-street sites. When it is fully sold off from Lloyds, the 632 branches will represent a new competitor on the high street and has pledged to focus on local, traditional retail banking. Its [...]