Land Registry figures show house prices in slight decline September 28, 2009 LAND Registry figures yesterday showed a slowdown in the pace of annual decline in house prices, with a 9.4 per cent drop in August after an 11.7 per cent fall in July and as much as 16 per cent in February. The figures came on the same day property data company Hometrack said the annual [...]
WAR ON BANKS AFTER BONUS ROW EXPLODES December 3, 2009 POLITICIANS rounded on bankers yesterday amid fears a windfall tax on bank profits is on the cards for the pre-budget report next week. The concerns came as a report from the National Audit Office (NAO), released today, revealed for the first time that the government has spent £117bn bailing out the banks. Lord Myners, the [...]
A helping hand to lift you on to the property ladder October 22, 2009 GETTING on the property ladder is notoriously difficult in London. But if you’re one of the thousands of young professionals earning a decent salary – but still not able to fork out the post-credit crunch minimum deposit of 20 per cent in order to attain a mortgage- then you may have more options than you [...]
Frasers bucks retail misery September 9, 2009 DEPARTMENT store chain House of Fraser yesterday revealed that underlying profits jumped over the first half of the year as sales strengthened despite the challenging retail environment. House of Fraser, which was taken private in 2006 by a consortium that included now-bust Icelandic investor Baugur, Scots entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter and the firm’s chairman Don [...]
London homes in monthly price rise August 31, 2009 HOUSE prices in London rose by 0.3 per cent over August on the back of a dwindling supply of homes for sale. Hometrack’s national housing survey showed higher price tags in London, the south east and East Anglia, with London’s average price rising to £275,300, although year-on- year prices showed a 6.7 per cent fall. [...]
Rock gets go-ahead to split October 28, 2009 CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling ruled out the prospect of a quick sale of Northern Rock yesterday, despite winning backing from the European Union to split the troubled lender into a “good” and “bad” bank ahead of a sell-off. EU competition commissioner Neelie Kroes approved the government’s proposals to split the Newcastle-based bank, led by chairman Ron [...]
THE TIPSTER DUBAI FEARS ARE BATTERING BRITISH BANKS November 29, 2009 THE shock announcement that Dubai World was unable to meet its debt obligations last week put intense pressure on stocks and currencies worldwide. Investors were concerned that British banks might have significant exposure to Dubai and the UK financial institutions got a battering. But with the uptrend of the latest bull run still intact, the [...]
CORPORATE SCROOGES FAIL TO PUT DAMPENER ON XMAS PARTY SPIRIT December 21, 2009 ANOTHER year, another load of City types wistfully remembering the good old champagne-soaked extravagances of old? Well, not exactly. Company bosses are certainly trying to give the impression of having left behind those days for good, what with all those blanket bans on corporate decorations, measly £10-a-head allowances at the likes of Royal Bank of [...]
Four insiders plot MBO at KBC Peel Hunt October 18, 2009 NO LESS than four separate internal management teams are hard at work plotting a buy-out of stockbroking and corporate finance house KBC Peel Hunt after its Belgian banking owner KBC put the division up for sale last month, City A.M. can reveal. KBC Peel Hunt chief executive Simon Hayes was revealed last month to be [...]
CONSERVATION AREAS NEAR THE CITY September 23, 2009 GRAFF HOUSE, RICHMONDGraff House sits within the trust grounds of St Margarets, a mile away from Richmond town centre. St Margarets trust grounds are made up of three secure private gardens making up 12 acres, which naturally lend themselves to family picnics, tennis tournaments and sports days. The Thames, Kew Gardens and the Richmond Deer [...]