MPs grill City watchdog chief as Tesco Bank and RBS fallout rocks the sector November 8, 2016 Talk about bad timing: The City watchdog boss has today faced a grilling from the influential Treasury Select Committee as the banking industry is still reeling from a hectic few days. Andrew Bailey, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, appeared before the MPs as customers at challenger Tesco Bank await to hear how bad the weekend's [...]
Class action suit being brought against Barclays, UBS, Royal Bank of Scotland and others for conspiring to limit competition November 26, 2015 Big-name banks including Goldman Sachs, Barclays, UBS and the Royal Bank of Scotland have been accused of conspiring to limit competition by a pension fund in the US. The class action lawsuit filed yesterday says that the banks, which also include Bank of America Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Credit Suisse Group, BNP Paribas and [...]
RBS on renewed drive to cut costs and shed assets after Bank of England stress test flop November 30, 2016 The Royal Bank of Scotland will now renew efforts to slash costs and shed assets, as it tries to bolster its balance sheet after flunking the Bank of England's most recent stress test. The worst performer of the seven lenders tested, RBS will now be monitored by the Bank's prudential regulation authority and has had to [...]
Q&A: Why are brands like Marks and Spencer pulling their advertising from Google? March 20, 2017 A newspaper investigation uncovered examples of several high profile brands being advertised against extremist content such as videos of a preacher banned from Britain and from white extremist David Duke insulting Jewish people. The BBC, Channel 4, The Guardian as well as the Financial Conduct Authority, Transport for London and the Royal Navy, advertising for [...]
The Financial Conduct Authority has cleared RBS of forcing small firms into financial distress – but has pointed to failures in conduct November 8, 2016 It looks like RBS bosses have got what they hoped for. An investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has cleared Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) of some of the most serious allegations against it – but has pointed to failures in conduct. RBS has been accused for forcing small and medium-sized firms into its [...]
Why banks could actually prove a less stressful part of your portfolio January 13, 2017 Market consensus tells us the banking sector remains a risky place for investors to put their money. After all, the prevailing wisdom runs, banks are cyclical, poorly capitalised and in lousy shape for the next downturn, as and when it comes. Of course, as contrarian investors, we believe market consensus and prevailing wisdom primarily [...]
Why banks could actually prove a less stressful part of your portfolio January 13, 2017 Market consensus tells us the banking sector remains a risky place for investors to put their money. After all, the prevailing wisdom runs, banks are cyclical, poorly capitalised and in lousy shape for the next downturn, as and when it comes. Of course, as contrarian investors, we believe market consensus and prevailing wisdom primarily exist [...]
Bank of England stress tests are getting tougher – but do they still add value? December 1, 2016 The Bank of England 2016 stress test was the toughest to date, with a more severe scenario which incorporated a combination of both a UK and global recession. Combined with a higher pass mark, this created challenges for several institutions. All of the banks started the exercise in more robust shape with a lower risk [...]
City Moves for 16 November 2016 | Who’s switching jobs November 16, 2016 HSBC HSBC’s Sanjeev Chopra is to join Psigma Investment Management as investment director in January 2017 reporting to John Howard-Smith, CEO. A seasoned investment professional, Sanjeev has worked at HSBC for nearly two decades, his most recent role being client director at HSBC Global Asset Management. IHS Markit IHS Markit has appointed Andrew Aziz as the global [...]
Tyrie urges FCA to publish its report into RBS October 18, 2016 The chairman of the influential Treasury Select Committee (TSC) Andrew Tyrie has urged the financial watchdog to publish its report on Royal Bank of Scotland’s treatment of financially distressed business customers. Tyrie has written to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) chief executive Andrew Bailey, asking him when the report will be published. The calls follow [...]