S&P boosts Lloyds and RBS May 26, 2010 Standard & Poor’s, the credit rating agency, has upgraded its stance on government-backed Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland in a move that underlines the recovery at the two banks. S&P raised the ratings on the institutions one notch from BBB to BBB+. Lloyds, 41 per cent owned by the taxpayer, bounced back [...]
S&P boosts Lloyds and RBS May 26, 2010 Standard & Poor’s, the credit rating agency, has upgraded its stance on government-backed Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland in a move that underlines the recovery at the two banks. S&P raised the ratings on the institutions one notch from BBB to BBB+. Lloyds, 41 per cent owned by the taxpayer, bounced back [...]
Energy firms drag down the FTSE as BG fails to deliver July 28, 2010 Britain’s top shares fell yesterday, dragged lower by energy stocks after BG Group reported its quarterly results, and weak US data knocked sentiment. The FTSE 100 index closed down 45.99 points at 5,319.68, having gained almost 4.5 per cent over the last five days, and falling away from the psychologically important 5,400 level. “The near-term [...]
Ex-Lloyds boss is UK ambassador November 8, 2010 Former Lloyds chairman Sir Victor Blank – who oversaw the bank’s troubled merger with HBOS – is to be made a UK business ambassador. Sir Victor is among 32 people due to be appointed, including Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon and former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten. Business ambassadors are unpaid – and use their [...]
Ex-Lloyds boss is UK ambassador November 8, 2010 Former Lloyds chairman Sir Victor Blank – who oversaw the bank’s troubled merger with HBOS – is to be made a UK business ambassador. Sir Victor is among 32 people due to be appointed, including Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon and former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten. Business ambassadors are unpaid – and use their [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING August 12, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES BARCLAYS REFUSES TO USE TARGETS The head of Barclays’ small business division has firmly refused to sign up to UK lending targets in a move that could fuel government criticism of the industry’s willingness to ease credit constraints in the economy. Speaking to the FT after Barclays broadened the remit of its business [...]
Iconic Battersea site primed for flotation June 23, 2010 DEBT-LADEN property firm Real Estate Opportunities (REO) will pursue a de-merger of London’s deteriorating Battersea power station, it said as it reported losses of almost £1bn yesterday. The landmark, Europe’s largest brick building, has been derelict for more than a quarter of a century and is in need of financing for redevelopment. REO said it [...]
Iconic Battersea site primed for flotation June 23, 2010 DEBT-LADEN property firm Real Estate Opportunities (REO) will pursue a de-merger of London’s deteriorating Battersea power station, it said as it reported losses of almost £1bn yesterday. The landmark, Europe’s largest brick building, has been derelict for more than a quarter of a century and is in need of financing for redevelopment. REO said it [...]
An Alpine refuge from the Eurozone storms December 7, 2010 FOR centuries, Switzerland has been perceived as one of the safest places to store your wealth. Not only does it have a long legacy of a discreet private banking system it has also been successful at keeping inflation under control, promoting economic growth and keeping its fiscal books in order. Consequently, the Swiss franc does [...]
Q&A BIS FUNDING December 9, 2010 Q. Does the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) have programs that help entrepreneurs? What are they? A.BIS has several programs that can give extra funding to entrepreneurs. Chief among them are the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) and the Enterprise Capital Funds (ECF). EFGs are bank loans intended for small and medium sized enterprises [...]