Speaking to the BBC after the Royal Bank of Scotland’s chief executive announced his decision to forgo his bonus this year, the government has said that it will not block bonuses to the bank’s other executives. RBS chief executive Stephen Hester was awarded £963,000 in shares but following pressure from public opinion and MPs he [...]
According to the BBC, financial institution NBNK is to submit a second bid for the 600+ branches which Lloyds Banking Group is putting up for sale. It is understood the branches could fetch around £1.5 billion, according to sources close to the matter. Lloyds is selling the branches under the orders of the European Commission [...]
The European Commission has today warned that euro zone growth will almost grind to a halt in the second half of the year. Its prediction comes amid the ongoing debt crisis in the 17-member region. It slashed growth forecasts for the third quarter to 0.2%, while growth for the final quarter has been revised down [...]
Greece’s debt crisis continues to knock confidence after an index by the European Commission revealed sentiment fell to 105.1 in June from 105.5 in May – the lowest reading since October 2010. The fall has been attributed to the problems in Greece as EU leaders put together a second bailout package for the crisis-torn economy. [...]
According to a report in the Sunday Times, banking giant Lloyds is set to axe a further 15,000 jobs, as part of a cost-cutting exercise. The job losses are expected to be revealed at the end of this month by chief executive, Antonio Horta-Osorio, who assumed the role earlier this year after being poached from [...]
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which is 83% owned by the taxpayer, has today announced it has agreed to sell a portfolio of Spanish real estate loans and assets to Perella Weinberg Real Estate Fund I LP, in a deal worth £247 million (€286 million). RBS has been selling assets under the orders of [...]
The European Commission today said the 17-member euro zone economy will grow at a better than expected rate this year. The upbeat statement comes as the Commission said there are “better prospects for the global economy” and positive “EU business sentiment.” Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said the euro zone is expected to [...]
A monthly survey by the European Commission has reported a rise in euro zone economic sentiment in February. The Indicator rose to 107.8 in February, up from 106.8 in January and exceeded forecasts of a reading of 106.8. In a statement, the Commission said: “The ESI (Economic Sentiment Indicator) is now above its long-term average [...]
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which is 83% owned by the taxpayer, has today announced it has agreed to sell the Priory Group – the care home and clinic renowned for treating celebrities. The bank has offloaded the business to private equity firm, Advent International, in a deal worth £925 million. RBS has been [...]
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which is 83% owned by the taxpayer, is understood to be looking at selling a £1 billion Spanish property loan portfolio, as it looks to offload unwanted assets. The speculation comes as the bank has been selling assets under the orders of the European Commission, as a punishment of [...]
It has been reported that the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is axing approximately 500 administrative jobs at its investment banking division. The bank, which is 84% owned by the taxpayer, has axed around 26,000 jobs since the onset of the financial crisis. In a statement today, the bank said: “We continue to make efficiencies [...]
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has signed an agreement with Chinese group, Guolian Securities. The venture is part of the bank‘s expansion in the fast-growing Asian economy. RBS, which is 83% owned by the taxpayer, has recently been selling assets under the orders of the European Commission, as a punishment of the billions of [...]
It appears the European Commission is optimistic about the euro zone’s growth prospects after lifting GDP forecasts. According to the Commission, growth of 1.8% in the EU for 2010 is expected – slightly higher than its previous estimate of 1%. Meanwhile, for the 16-member euro zone, it is forecasting growth of 1.7% – up from [...]
Banking giant Lloyds has confirmed it has disposed of its stake in housebuilder Crest Nicholson to US investment fund Varde. The sale comes shortly after Lloyds offloaded its private equity business to Coller Capital for £332 million, and its Ecuadorian branch assets for $25 million. The price tag of the Crest Nicholson disposal was not [...]
As part of its restructuring plan, the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is preparing to sell its payment processing company, WorldPay, just days after it announced the sale of its Williams & Glyn’s branch network. Private equity firms, Advent International and Bain Capital, have been in talks to buy WorldPay since last month, according to [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has confirmed it will sell the 318 Williams & Glyn’s network of branches to Spanish banking giant, Santander for £1.65 billion. The majority of the branches are in the North West and will be turned into Santander banks, with the process expected to be completed by December 2011. Commenting on [...]
It has been reported that Spanish banking giant, Santander, is set to acquire the 318 Williams & Glyn’s network of branches from the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). According to the Financial Times and Times newspapers, RBS, which is 83% owned by the Government, is expected to confirm the deal later today. However, the deal [...]
The euro zone received a boost today after a report revealed business and consumer confidence surged to its highest level since March 2008. Confidence in the 16-member nation rose to 101.3 in July, up from a revised 99 in June, according to the European Commission’s economic sentiment index. However, the Commission highlighted that the rise [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is taking the necessary steps so the Government can start selling its 83% stake in the bank. According to reports, chief executive Stephen Hester was quoted as saying: The sale “won’t be conducted in one go….but I would be disappointed if there would not be the first steps towards privatisation [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which is 84% owned by the taxpayer, has announced it has completed the sale of its metals, oil and European energy business, Sempra Commodities, to US investment bank, JP Morgan, in a $1.6 billion (£1.1 billion) deal. Sempra, which is based in San Diego reported 2009 revenues to be in [...]
M&S Money launches 3% cash ISA
M&S Money has launched an Advantage Cash ISA paying 3 per cent, and which allows transfers in from other ISAs. It can be opened with a minimum deposit of £100 lump sum followed by minimum monthly deposits of £25. The 3% rate is variable, but there is no short-term bonus so the return won’t plummet [...]
Google suspends UK Compare Mortgages site
Google has closed its UK mortgage comparison site which it launched in July last year, after it proved to be less popular than expected. Mortgage comparison sites are designed to allow visitors to compare mortgages quickly and easily without having to visit each lender’s individual site. Google was competing with several well-established comparison sites, including [...]
AA launches ‘black-box’ policy for young drivers
The AA is launching an innovative car insurance policy called Drivesafe which could help younger drivers save up to £850 a year. Younger drivers already pay substantially higher premiums than other motorists and these costs are increasing. A new study by Confused.com suggests insurance costs for younger driver have gone up by 5.7 per cent [...]
ATOL scheme updated to protect online bookers
ATOL, a financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being extended to protect up to six million more holidays a year. The scheme ensures that holiday makers do not lose out financially if a travel company collapses, and that they are not stranded abroad. An increase in the number of holidays booked [...]
Home repossessions lowest for four years
The number of UK homes repossessed fell to 36,200 in 2011, significantly below the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ forecast of 40,000, and lower than 2010 when 37,100 homes were repossessed. With interest rates remaining low and lenders adopting a sympathetic attitude to customers in financial difficulty, repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007. However, [...]
Monthly pay lasting just 17 days
Workers are running out of money just 17 days after receiving their monthly pay, according to new research by the Halifax bank. This means that the average UK worker spends half the month worrying about money. The study, based on the responses of more than 2,000 adults, found that 10 per cent of workers start [...]
Women disadvantaged by auto-enrolment changes
Government proposals to increase the auto-enrolment threshold to £10,000 could put 1.8 million women at risk of missing out on a pension, the TUC has warned. Under the auto-enrolment scheme, which will be phased in from October, private sector employers will automatically enrol workers between the age of 22 years and the state pension age, [...]
Emergency household repairs company Homeserve is taking longer than expected to get back on track after its operations were suspended last October. The company expected customer numbers to fall by 5% this year but it has increased this estimate to 8% and announced the loss of 200 jobs. It estimates that renewal revenue in 2013 [...]
Sale rumoured for Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks
There is growing speculation that National Australia Bank (NAB) may sell Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank after the Australian parent company announced a strategic review of the two banks’ operations. The Australian economy is performing well and NAB reported strong profits for the final quarter of 2011 but with the UK economy at a virtual [...]
More women experiencing debt difficulties
Women in Debt, which offers female-focused debt advice, has warned that the number of UK women facing serious debt has grown significantly over recent years. The organisation believes that more women will need advice on solving debt problems in the future because they are building up an unsustainable level of indebtedness. Women in Debt’s director, [...]
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