RBS in EC branch sale threat October 14, 2009 EUROPEAN Commission (EC) lawmakers may force Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) to sell off 312 of its RBS-branded bank branches, under new rules for firms receiving state bailouts. Neelie Kroes, the EC competition commissioner, is considering forcing the bank to slash its small business banking operations by 10 per cent. This would be achieved if [...]
RBS in EC branch sale threat October 14, 2009 EUROPEAN Commission (EC) lawmakers may force Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) to sell off 312 of its RBS-branded bank branches, under new rules for firms receiving state bailouts. Neelie Kroes, the EC competition commissioner, is considering forcing the bank to slash its small business banking operations by 10 per cent. This would be achieved if [...]
TIMELINE: HOW BRITAIN’S BANKING SECTOR WENT SOUR November 3, 2009 21 February, 2008Britain passes legislation allowing the government to nationalise Northern Rock after rejecting two private bids. Northern Rock is nationalised months after the Bank of England stepped in to provide support. 21 AprilThe BoE unveils the Special Liquidity Scheme to swap banks' risky mortgage assets for at least £50bn of government debt. 18 SeptemberLloyds [...]
RBS cash call looks weak to City analysts September 21, 2009 THE CITY yesterday poured cold water on news that Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is considering launching a further cash call to limit the government’s control over the bank, arguing that the plans are not radical enough to stir shareholders into action. RBS is mulling a rights issue of between £3bn and £5bn as it [...]
RBS cash call looks weak to City analysts September 21, 2009 THE CITY yesterday poured cold water on news that Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is considering launching a further cash call to limit the government’s control over the bank, arguing that the plans are not radical enough to stir shareholders into action. RBS is mulling a rights issue of between £3bn and £5bn as it [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS March 16, 2010 Serco Alastair Lyons has been appointed by international services company Serco as non-executive chairman. He joins the board with immediate effect before taking up his new post at the annual meeting on 11 May, when he will succeed Ken Beeston who is retiring. Lyons, 56, has been non-executive chairman of insurer Admiral since 2000 and [...]
Lloyds, RBS to be scrutinised over lending October 8, 2009 LLOYDS BANKING GROUP and Royal Bank of Scotland are being scrutinised by the government, which suspects the taxpayer-owned banks of pricing their loans to small and medium businesses at artificially high levels, resulting in them missing lending targets. Both banks, which turned to the government for help in the downturn, have between them agreed to [...]
Miners and Vodafone drag but banks offer some cheer November 10, 2009 BRITAIN’S leading share index ticked down 0.1 per cent yesterday, ending a four-day winning run, as weakness in miners and Vodafone offset strength in banks, underpinned by a strong update from HSBC. The FTSE 100 closed 4.63 points lower at 5,230.55, after hitting a two-week high earlier in the session. “After last week’s slew of [...]
Meet steely Neelie Kroes, the queen of UK banks November 4, 2009 Brussels competition chief Neelie Kroes yesterday unveiled the most radical shake-up of UK retail banking in living memory, ordering Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group to sell off assets and authorising an extra £40bn injection of taxpayer money into the banks. The extra capital from the Treasury only served to stoke the anger [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 22, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphWOMEN DIRECTORS EARN 50PC LESS THAN MENFemale board directors in the FTSE 350 are being paid half as much as their male counterparts, new research has found. The average female board director took home £178,246 in salary, bonuses, benefits and pension contributions in the 2008-09 financial year, while the average male director [...]