Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, has warned that the world’s largest economy is facing a national crisis due to its high unemployment rate, which currently stands at 9.1%. Earlier this month, the US Labor Department revealed the economy added no new jobs last month, which was a surprise after markets had expected 70,000 new jobs. [...]
Ben Bernanke, chairman of US central bank, the Federal Reserve, said he expects economic growth to be between 3.1% and 3.3% for the 2011 year - lower than a previous forecast of 3.4% to 3.9%. Mr Bernanke said the reduced growth was the result of lower defence spending, slower exports and bad weather. At a [...]
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke has warned that stubbornly high unemployment will remain. Mr Bernanke said the weak labour market means a recovery is not yet “truly established.” His comments come despite the drop in the US unemployment rate last month. Last week, the Labor Department reported the unemployment rate in the US fell from [...]
December’s heavy snowfall had a negative impact on many companies and housebuilder Persimmon was no exception. The housebuilder, which is the UK’s second largest by market value, said sales activity fell by 50% in December but said it had been an encouraging start to the year. The company reported a considerable increase in underlying profits [...]
There is speculation that HSBC’s chief executive, Michael Geoghegan, will step down at the end of the year. The report comes shortly after 56-year-old Geoghegan was reported to have threatened to leave the bank if he was not promoted to chairman. However, HSBC, which is Europe’s largest bank, dismissed the claim as “offensive” and “nonsense”. [...]
According to Sky News, banking giant HSBC has dismissed claims that chief executive, Michael Geoghegan, has threatened to leave the bank if he is not promoted to chairman. The bank, which is Europe’s largest, dismissed the claim as “offensive” and “nonsense”. Earlier today, a source familiar with the matter told the Financial Times that Mr [...]
HSBC’s chief executive, Michael Geoghegan, has threatened to leave the bank if he is not promoted to chairman. According to the Financial Times, a person familiar with the bank’s succession plan, said: “He [Geoghegan] was told the board was not ready to give him the chairmanship and he was not happy.” Earlier this month, it [...]
Johnny Cameron, the former chairman of Royal Bank of Scotland’s (RBS) investment banking business, has been banned from holding an executive position within the financial services industry. The ban, imposed by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), follows an investigation into systems and controls in the global markets division at the bank. Fifty-five-year-old Cameron, who was [...]
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 chairman of the Council of Mortgage Lenders has accused regulators of depicting the UK’s mortgage lenders as “drug dealers at the school gates”. Addressing the CML conference last week, Matthew Wyles said he increasingly saw lenders and intermediaries cast in this role, “enticing innocent consumers in and then getting them hooked, for their own [...]
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 [...]
US President Barack Obama is expected to take a break from his summer vacation to announce that Ben Bernanke will be nominated for a second four-year term as Chairman of the US central bank - the Federal Reserve. If his appointment is confirmed, Mr Bernanke will commence his term when his current tenure ends in [...]
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said today the prospects for economic recovery “appear good” and sent global stock markets higher. The Dow Jones index gained 1%, London’s FTSE 100 index climbed 2% to close at 4,850.89. Germany’s Dax index rose 2.8%, while France’s Cac 40 added 3.1%. Mr Bernanke’s comments came at a speech in [...]
Lloyds Banking Group is to embark on a £4 billion fundraising exercise which follows the news that chairman Sir Victor Blank is to step down in June 2010. The £4 billion fundraising comes amid high profile changes at the bank and sees chief executive Eric Daniels’ position ‘in doubt‘. Both directors have faced criticism from [...]
Sir Victor Blank has announced he is to retire from the position as chairman at Lloyds Banking Group. Sir Victor’s shock resignation comes as he and chief executive, Eric Daniels, have faced criticism from shareholders following the hasty takeover of HBOS. According to Roger Lawson of the UK Shareholders’ Association: “Almost all of the shareholders [...]
Daniel Bouton, Société Générale’s chairman, has announced he will step down from the bank citing the “personal attacks” against him for his resignation. Mr Bouton, who is to stand down on 6 May, said the repeated attacks risk harming the bank and will depart to “protect the bank“. Mr Bouton has been criticised since the [...]
Sir Tom McKillop, chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), who was due to retire in April, has stepped down two months early and is to be replaced by Sir Philip Hampton, former chairman of Sainsbury’s. Commenting on his early departure, Sir Tom said ”it is appropriate to bring my retirement forward so that [...]
The US Federal Reserve’s Chairman, Ben Bernanke, is suggesting that the US needs another cash boost to encourage spending and promote consumer confidence. The suggestion comes after the country recently announced a $700 billion (£380 billion) package to rescue the country’s ailing banking industry. Mr Bernanke believes further Government spending may be required after he [...]
A year has passed since the government replaced Child Trust Funds with Junior ISAs (JISAs) but more than half of parents are unaware that they exist, according to research by friendly society Family Investments Children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011 were eligible to open a Child Trust Fund and to receive [...]
PPI costs increase for Lloyds and Barclays
Lloyds Banking Group has set aside a further £1 billion to cover compensation costs for customers who were mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance (PPI). Yesterday, Barclays revealed £700m of PPI costs in the 2012 third quarter increasing its total provision to £2bn. Lloyds Banking Group, which has made the largest PPI provision out of all the [...]
Bonfire Night worst day for burglaries warns Aviva
Insurance group Aviva is warning households to be vigilant over security at this time of the year, as burglaries tend to increase signficantly between Halloween and Bonfire Night. On Bonfire Night the number of burglaries increases by around 25 per cent compared with an average day, according to the company’s research. Aviva also reported a [...]
Consumer confidence hits six-month low
Although the UK has officially emerged from recession, consumer confidence fell to -30 in October from -28 in September, according to market researcher company GfK NOP. This is the lowest level of consumer confidence since April when the UK was in an economic slump. Analysts had expected the index to remain stable at -28. Respondents [...]
100,000 mortgage holders escape negative equity trap
New figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) reveal that the number of borrowers in negative equity fell 13 per cent to 719,000 between the first quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012. The number of borrowers paying a mortgage greater than the value of their property fell despite a further small [...]
Banking commission appoints counsel to cross-examine witnesses
The Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards has appointed counsel to cross-examine witnesses during its inquiry into the collapse of Halifax Bank of Scotland. Barrister David Quest has been appointed to question witnesses in a public evidence session, as part of a sub-committee panel inquiry into the bank. Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Commission said: “This [...]
Mortgage approvals increased in September
An increase in the number of mortgage approvals in September suggests that the ‘Funding for Lending’ scheme, launched by the Treasury and the Bank of England, may be starting to give the property market a boost. According to Bank of England figures, the number of loans approved for house purchase increased by 2,103 to 50,024 [...]
Five million paid less than living wage
Five million people in the UK are paid less than the ‘living wage’ of £7.20, or £8.30 in London, according to a new report by KPMG. In Northern Ireland, 24 per cent of workers receive less than they require in order to pay for essentials and the situation is little better in Wales where 23 [...]
Commission calls for radical change in housing market
A new study by the Future Homes Commission suggests that the way homes are built in the UK is dysfunctional and needs a radical overhaul. The organisation, which was established by the Royal Institute of British Architects, believes that 300,000 extra homes could be built every year without any input from Government funding. Instead, the [...]
The UK economy emerged from recession yesterday and now leads the way in Europe according to research group Capital Economics. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by one per cent in the third quarter from July to September, the biggest rise for five years, the latest official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. [...]
About | Privacy | Disclaimer | Resources | XML Feeds | Press Releases | Directory | Contact us
