Richard Branson’s PM Chequers boast sparks awkward Twitter questions August 14, 2014 Richard Branson’s latest blog has been conjuring some awkward questions on Twitter. The entrepreneur wrote about relationship between business and politics before stating, “Dined at Chequers with 9 of last 10 Prime Ministers. Won’t reveal who didn’t invite me – was it something I said?!” Impressive, you might say. But Michael Jary, partner at OC&C [...]
Super Bowl XLIX 2015 adverts: Watch Budweiser’s Lost Dog, NoMore.org’s domestic violence PSA, Bud Light’s Pac Man and T-Mobile’s Kim Kardashian videos February 1, 2015 Some 184m Americans are expected to tune into the Super Bowl this year to watch the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks showdown. While American football is nowhere near that popular here in the UK (although it is growing), chances are many more of us have seen a Super Bowl advert shared on our screens [...]
Nationwide succeeds in raising £500m with new equity security November 27, 2013 BUILDING society Nationwide yesterday announced it has more than covered its books in a £500m capital-raising exercise with a new equity instrument. It had aimed to raise between £300m and £500m. The lender wanted to improve its capital position, and tested the waters with the innovative security, called core capital deferred shares (CCDS). However the lender [...]
UK house prices grow 9.6 per cent in a year, but growth is slowing. Here’s why October 8, 2014 More data showing the housing market is slowing has emerged today. Halifax, which bases its calculations on its own mortgage lending, calculates prices have risen 9.6 per cent over the year to September (down from 9.7 per cent for the year to August and 10.2 per cent for the 12 months to July) and 2.7 [...]
Sainsburys, Asda, House of Fraser, Shop Direct and 15 more businesses will let customers pay via mobile with Zapp October 8, 2014 Sainsbury’s, Asda and House of Fraser are just some of the country’s biggest shops that will soon let customers pay for items using just a mobile phone via Zapp. The mobile technology, already supported in the apps of UK banks such as HSBC, Nationwide and Santander, will be supported by more than 15 high street [...]
New Facebook feature “Safety Check” lets you tell loved ones you’re safe during an emergency October 16, 2014 Facebook knows the first thing you do in a crisis is turn to social media. A psychological quirk of the modern age, it means Faceboook is not necessarily just a narcissistic echo chamber full of selfies, but also the first port of call to check on loved ones during an emergency. That’s why Facebook is [...]
Don’t underestimate the economic benefits of investing in energy efficiency October 30, 2014 EVEN if this year’s Indian summer delayed the onset of colder times, families all over the country are now starting to turn on their heating, while dreading the moment the bill lands. For many families in Britain, the onset of the colder months means a stark choice. Six million low income households in this country [...]
Good causes December 15, 2014 Just some of the charities supported this Christmas BATTERSEA DOGS & CATS HOME Christmas isn’t a relaxing time for everyone, especially not the 400 dogs and 250 cats waiting for new owners in Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. Many of the animals, like Gizmo the staffie (pictured), get anxious and depressed in the kennels and [...]
Nationwide stands tall with new mutual-friendly capital plan November 22, 2013 Against the backdrop of the troubles of the Co-op Bank and the scandal of the Crystal Methodist, British mutual Nationwide has announced that it's pressing on with issuing a new kind of share called "core capital deferred shares" (CCDS). The lender has detailed its plan to issue up to £500m of the CCDS, which will [...]
London Report: Housing market stalls and GDP is re-evaluated September 28, 2014 HOUSING data showing fewer mortgage approvals and only modest price increases looks set to show that the UK’s booming property market is finally slowing. Bank of England figures out today are forecast to show that mortgage approvals fell to 66,000 in August from 66,569 in July and 67,085 in June. The numbers are well below [...]