These are Britain’s best companies for customer service: First Direct, Amazon and John Lewis July 15, 2015 Anyone who detests being taken for granted by a company will be pleased to know there's a list of firms offering shoppers the best customer service experience. Online bank First Direct scored 87 for the overall level of customer satisfaction, helping it overtake better-known brands such as Amazon and John Lewis in a ranking compiled [...]
TSB share price rises on third-quarter profits jump October 24, 2014 Shares in TSB jumped 3.2 per cent this morning, after it published figures showing profits had soared 28.8 per cent to £33.1m in the three months to 30 September as it picked up nearly one in 10 new current accounts in the UK. Franchise banking net interest margin remained stable at 3.61 per cent, while [...]
City Moves for 13 August 2015 | Who’s switching jobs August 12, 2015 Weightmans The law firm has appointed Seva Singh as partner in its large loss and technical claims insurance division. He joins from DAC Beachcroft, and specialises in high value personal injury litigation handling. Octopus Investments Pete Daffern has been appointed venture partner at the venture capital firm. He joins Octopus with 25 years’ experience, and [...]
Lloyds sells another £160m of TSB shares September 25, 2014 LLOYDS last night announced it would sell another 11.5 per cent of its shares in TSB, the spin-off bank it floated in June. The sale of an extra 57.5m shares will cut Lloyds’ holding in TSB to around 50.5 per cent. At last night’s closing price of 280p, the offering will net Lloyds £161m. Lloyds [...]
IPOs back on: Goldman takes Equiniti to market May 21, 2015 One of the UK’s biggest outsourcing companies Equiniti has appointed Goldman Sachs for a £1bn-plus float in London later this year, underscoring the renewed appetite for initial public offerings (IPOs) after the General Election. The company is hoping to issue shares worth between £400m and £500m in the offering, which could value the business at [...]
Apple Pay launches in the UK: Where to use it, how to use it, which iPhone you need and how it works July 14, 2015 If you're the proud owner of an iPhone 6, 6 Plus or Apple Watch you can now spend your cash with little more than the flick of a wrist. Apple Pay has today launched in the UK, allowing people to use near field communication on their iPhones to tap and pay for items worth [...]
RBS could be ordered to beef up new lender Williams and Glyn May 28, 2015 George Osborne yesterday asked the competition authorities to look into the RBS spin-off Williams and Glyn to make sure it is big enough to challenge other banks in the market. Bailed-out giant RBS has to carve the unit out of its existing branch and customer network, under terms imposed by the European Commission at the [...]
Struggling banks must not be immune to watchdog’s bite August 12, 2015 It's two years since “saying it with Flowers” gained entry into the lexicon of British banking. This week’s dual censure from the banking and City regulators will have felt like groundhog day to Niall Booker and the rest of the Co-operative Bank’s management. The Treasury Select Committee and a review by Sir Christopher [...]
John Vickers says ringfencing rules are still necessary June 30, 2015 Despite some bankers calling for an end to ringfencing, John Vickers says the case for separating the retail banking and investment banking arms of banks is still necessary. The architect behind ringfencing plans has said British banks still need to protect domestic retail customers from riskier parts of their operations, and the case for this [...]
The right credit card can slash holiday costs: Air miles cards are popular but fees and rewards vary considerably May 26, 2015 Competition has become fierce among credit card providers and many are having to raise their stakes when it comes to perks for new customers. Air miles are the latest area of growth for credit card companies. While they may not have the best annual percentage rates (APRs), these cards will act as an extension [...]