Business Secretary Vince Cable has said he could quit the coalition if he is “pushed too far” in negotiations with the Conservatives. Mr Cable, who is the most senior Liberal Democrat member of the coalition after Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, told undercover reporters from The Daily Telegraph the situation in the coalition was like […]
A meeting between Business Secretary Vince Cable, Chancellor George Osborne and the bosses of the UK’s top five banks has been delayed after Mr Osborne is stranded in the US due to bad weather. The meeting, scheduled for this afternoon to discuss the controversial issue of bonuses, had to be cancelled due to transport problems. […]
As the bonus payment season draws near, Business Secretary Vince Cable has today warned banks that the Government will remain determined and not be “bullied”. Mr Cable added that the Coalition Government is in agreement on the subject of bonuses and said it will not be “bullied” by banks threatening to leave the UK as […]
Under new proposals being drawn up Europe’s top regulators, there are set to be new restrictions on bankers’ bonuses - which are being described as the biggest clampdown ever seen in the banking industry. The proposals are much harsher than regulations in the US, and if introduced, will result in an overhaul of pay policies […]
Leading think tank, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), has unveiled City bankers will be in receipt of a bonus pot of £7.3 billion this year. The total is 4% lower than last year’s total and considerably lower than the £11 billion paid out at the height of the banking boom in 2007. […]
From January next year, restrictions on bankers’ bonuses will take effect, the European Parliament has announced today. Under the deal agreed by the EU members last month, cash bonuses will be capped at 30% of the total bonus. 60% of bonuses should be variable and for future payment only, with at least 40% having to […]
Chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Sir Philip Hampton, has admitted that bankers’ pay is too high. However, while conceding that bankers’ pay is “astonishingly high”, he said it is difficult to defend the gap between what most people earned and what some bank staff were paid. Speaking to BBC Radio 4, Sir […]
The Pre-Election Budget has been delivered today by Chancellor Alistair Darling with items such as stamp duty changes confirmed. The Chancellor said stamp duty will be abolished on house purchases up to £250,000. The change, which will apply this year and next year, means 90% of first-time buyers will not pay the duty. Furthermore, Mr […]
The controversial subject of bankers’ pay has reared its ugly head again today after the chairman of US banking giant, Morgan Stanley, John Mack, said investment bankers are overpaid. Sixty-five-year-old Mack, who recently stepped down as chief executive but remained chairman, has not taken a bonus for the past three years but received a salary […]
Bonuses for Wall Street bankers grew by 17% to $20 billion (£13.2 billion) in 2009, according to figures from the New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. The figures come at a time when US taxpayers are bailing out banks and Mr DiNapoli said: “For most Americans, these huge bonuses are a bitter pill and hard […]
Bill Nighy has pledged his support for a campaign to impose a “Robin Hood tax” on speculative financial transactions between banks. The actor, famous for his roles in Pirates of the Caribbean and Love Actually, has joined forces with director Richard Curtis to make a three-minute film explaining how the tax would work. In the […]
State-owned conglomerate, Dubai World, is to meet with creditors today to discuss its debt repayment plan. The company owes $59 billion of the country’s entire $80 billion debt mountain and is in need of restructuring. This morning, the Dubai Financial Market lost 1.75% as the debt-laden conglomerate commenced talks with over 90 banks to secure […]
French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has today unveiled details of a 50% tax on bankers’ bonuses. After a cabinet meeting today, Ms Lagarde told reporters that a bill detailing the new tax would be presented to parliament early in the New Year. Any bonus above €27,500 (£24,000) will be taxed at a rate of 50% […]
Today is the day of the Pre-Budget Report and Chancellor Alistair Darling will give more detailed plans about how the Government intends to halve the £180 billion deficit. Moody’s credit rating agency has warned that Britain is facing a “fiscal crisis” unless the Government takes action to pay off the debt or risk losing its […]
In the Pre-Budget Report this week, Chancellor Alistair Darling is expected to announce a windfall tax on British banks. The measure is one of many being planned by Mr Darling to target high earners. Other measures include increasing the number of people liable to pay inheritance tax, as well as an increase in capital gains […]
According to The Sunday Times, over 1,000 investment bankers have left the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) after a heated row with the Treasury over bonuses. The investment bankers account for less than 5% of staff in the bank’s investment division and comes as the Government plans to veto bonus payments at the bank. The […]
Stephen Green, chairman of Europe’s largest bank HSBC, said the banking industry “owes the real world an apology” for the financial crisis. In an interview with the BBC, Mr Green who is also a Church of England priest, said: “I think the change in the public perception of the industry is entirely understandable. The banking […]
Gender directive could slash men’s annuity payouts
The EU Gender Directive, which came into force today, could see men losing up to £10,000 from their annuity payouts, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Under the new rules insurers are no longer allowed to take gender into account when setting annuity rates and premiums on insurance products. Men previously enjoyed higher annuity rates than […]
Home rental costs down in November
The cost of renting a house in England and Wales fell by 0.4 per cent in November, its first dip since March, according to a survey by LSL Property Services. Average rent was £741m during the month, returning to the level seen in September. However, it was 3.4 per higher than in November last year. […]
Lloyds TSB halts sale of packaged accounts in branches
Lloyds TSB will stop selling packaged account in its branches from 1 January 2013, until its sales procedures are brought into line with those operated by sister bank The Halifax. Lloyds TSB is one of the main providers of packaged accounts in Britain, with around one in three of its customers choosing to pay fees […]
Housing market recovery to continue next year
Recent improvements in the housing market should continue into next year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Gross lending is estimated to have increased to £12.9 billion in November, helped by the Funding for Lending scheme which provides banks and building societies with lower-cost funding, which they are then supposed to pass on […]
Newcastle Building Society exits interest-only mortgages
Newcastle Building Society has stopped offering interest-only mortgages to new borrowers, following the lead of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Nationwide, Co-operative bank and Coventry Building Society. The decision will not affect existing Newcastle customers and applications for interest-only mortgages received before 14 December will still be processed. Prior to the credit crunch, interest-only mortgages […]
Less than half of Brits considered creditworthy
Fifty-seven per cent of UK adults are at risk of having an application for credit turned down by a mainstream lender according to a new report. The ‘Mind the Credit Gap‘ report commissioned by aqua credit cards suggests that even people with a good credit rating and earning more than £50,000 could have a credit […]
Monthly incomes £22 lower in 2012
The average monthly income of UK households fell by £22 in real terms compared with last year, according to a survey carried out for the Bank of England (BoE) by NMG Consulting. People on lower incomes have seen their income eroded more than higher earners and households still have high levels of debt the BoE […]
Savers dig deep to fund Christmas
New research from the Halifax suggests that savers are funding their Christmas spending with money set aside for other purposes. Thirty-seven per cent of 2,138 savers surveyed by the bank at the end of November had withdrawn savings in the last three months. The average amount withdrawn was £1,186, more than double the average savings […]
Financial data at risk from unsafe passwords
According to a survey by the Payments Council the problem of having to remember a different password for several accounts means that many internet users are compromising the security of their financial data. Internet users have 22 password-protected accounts on average and many use the same log-in details for more than one account, even though […]
Wonga launches Paylater loans on retailer website
Payday loan company Wonga has launched a new Paylater service on furniture firm Cotswold Company’s website. The service, which allows customers to “buy now, pay later” will be introduced on other retailers’ sites in the near future. Although the Paylater branding is similar to Wonga’s, the Wonga name only appears in the small print. A […]
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