Relief for mortgage prisoners: Six banks to begin lending on flats with unsafe cladding December 20, 2022 A handful of the country’s biggest banks will consider mortgage applications for some flats with dangerous cladding from January, in a sigh of relief for people trapped in unsellable properties. Lenders withdrew mortgage provisions for unsafe flats following the Grenfell Tower disaster, when 72 people were killed in a fire at a high-rise block in [...]
London economy contracts as rampant inflation chills spending December 12, 2022 London’s economy contracted last month as it is squeezed by roaring inflation and swelling business costs, a new survey out today shows. Rampant price rises prompting a spending slowdown from consumers sent a chill through businesses in November, according to NatWest’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI). The high street bank’s PMI dropped to a 22-month low [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile? December 7, 2022 City A.M.’s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every morning. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. The Bank of London The Bank of London has poached its new chief financial officer from Metro Bank. Banking veteran Marc Jenkins, who will also join the executive management committee, spent two years as deputy and acting [...]
Exclusive: Zooming in on the billions of pounds in criminal cash flowing through the City December 3, 2022 Going back more than a decade, in the summer of 2012, HSBC was fined $1.9bn for inadequate compliance and anti-money laundering control processes. The banking giant was found guilty of providing money laundering services to drug cartels as well as terrorist groups in the Middle East. Ten years on, money laundering is still a serious problem. Less [...]
London markets post mixed day as banks take a tumble December 1, 2022 London markets posted mixed performance today as big industrial firms and banks dragged the FTSE 100 lower. The capital’s premier index dropped 0.19 per cent to 7,558.49 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, climbed 1.28 per cent to close at 19,409.42 points. [...]
Exclusive: The billions of dirty money in the City despite FCA scandals that rocked HSBC and NatWest November 29, 2022 Going back more than a decade, in the summer of 2012, HSBC was fined $1.9bn for inadequate compliance and anti-money laundering control processes. The banking giant was found guilty of providing money laundering services to drug cartels as well as terrorist groups in the Middle East. Ten years on, money laundering is still a serious problem. Less [...]
City workers are ignoring ‘ego driven’ calls to return to offices November 29, 2022 City workers are ignoring calls from ‘C Suite’ executives for staff to come into the office for a minimum number of days each week, according to a new report. Workers and managers in the financial and professional services sectors are instead employing their own “bespoke” working models that align with their specific operational needs, the [...]
Boohoo amps up stake in troubled Revolution Beauty to 26 per cent November 28, 2022 Fast fashion retailer Boohoo has upped its stake in Revolution Beauty, as the troubled cosmetics firm announced a new chief. The online retailer said it had upped its strategic investment in the lipstick seller to 26.47 per cent of its issued share capital. Boohoo, which sells Revolution cosmetics on a number of its websites and [...]
Revolution Beauty probe into lipstick seller’s accounts continues as lenders hire advisers November 28, 2022 Revolution Beauty has named its new chief executive officer as Bob Holt as the business looks to move forward amid a probe into its accounts. The troubled cosmetics retailer said on Monday its current chief operating officer Holt would be stepping into the top job, after Holt was made responsible for the daily management of [...]
Met arrests 100 in ‘biggest ever fraud operation’ to take down spoof calling site November 24, 2022 More than 100 people have been arrested in what the Met Police describe as the UK’s biggest ever anti-fraud operation. The force led the bid to take down the ‘one stop spoofing shop’, iSpoof, which had more than 200,000 possible victims in this country alone. Fraudsters contacted people posing as as representatives of banks including [...]