The European Banking Authority (EBA) said eight out of 90 European banks failed the recent stress tests. The latest round of tests arose after last year’s failed to reveal the weakness among banks in Ireland and have been conducted to ensure banks have enough capital to cope with difficult economic situations, such as recession. The [...]
The European Banking Authority (EBA) will reveal the results of stress tests of 90 banks across Europe later today. The latest round of tests arose after last year’s failed to reveal the weakness among banks in Ireland and have been conducted to ensure banks have enough capital to cope with difficult economic situations, such as [...]
Fashion chain Jane Norman has gone into administration after failing to find a buyer. The retailer was forced to close its 90 UK stores this weekend and the news comes just a few days after it emerged that furniture chain Habitat is to be put into administration. Jane Norman is understood to have appointed American [...]
The EU has commenced a new round of stress tests after last year’s failed to reveal the weakness among banks in Ireland. The latest tests, which will be headed up by the new European Banking Authority (EBA), are expected to be tougher and may include a liquidity test. However, regulators have yet to agree to [...]
The National Audit Office (NAO) has published a report on the Government’s Asset Protection Scheme (APS) and concluded that it failed in its aim of boosting bank lending. The scheme, which insurers against losses arising from toxic assets, also did not charge sufficient fees to the banks which participated. The scheme was established in 2009 [...]
There are continued fears for the strength of the US economic recovery today after the jobs market fails to improve. The Labor Department revealed the unemployment rate rose to 9.8% in November – the highest level since April. The rate has now exceeded the 9% mark since May 2009. The US economy added just 39,000 [...]
Last week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expressed its concern for a currency war. The Fund said if Governments across the world use exchange rates as a policy weapon, there could be a serious risk to global economic recovery. However, this weekend’s IMF and World Bank annual meeting in Washington saw the currency issue unresolved. [...]
British insurance giant Prudential has failed to renegotiate the price of its takeover of AIA, the Asian arm of US company American International Group (AIG). The deal now looks set to collapse after AIA snubbed the lower price tag of $30.375 billion. It emerged last week that the Pru, which is Britain’s second largest insurer, [...]
Talks aimed at averting industrial action at British Airways (BA) have collapsed and failed to reach an agreement. Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said: “Despite a prolonged period of negotiations it has not been possible to reach agreement between BA and Unite.” Last month, BA‘s 12,000 cabin crew members voted to [...]
Portsmouth Football Club is to enter administration today as the Premier League side struggles under a mountain of debt totalling £60 million – including more than £12 million owed in tax to HM Revenue and Customs. The club has failed to attract a buyer and the process of administration means it will immediately be docked [...]
Fashion retailer Ethel Austin has been forced to close its doors after failing to attract a buyer. Earlier this month, the Liverpool-based discount clothing retailer, together with its sister company Au Naturale, entered administration for the second time in two years. The group was bought out of administration in 2008 by Elaine McPherson – former [...]
German mail-order company Quelle is to close down after more than 80 years of trading with the loss of 7,000 jobs. The company spent years revolutionising the country’s retail landscape but has failed to spot customers’ move to online shopping and has subsequently collapsed after attempts to sell the firm failed. According to services union, [...]
Credit-checking company, Experian, has reported a decline in the number of UK businesses that fail. According to a report by the agency, a total of 1,796 firms went insolvent in August, a fall of 23% when compared with the previous month. Experian said it was “encouraged” by the latest figures. However, while this figure is [...]
Dunfermline Building Society, established in 1869, has collapsed after last-minute rescue attempts failed. The British financial institution, which has a workforce of around 500 across more than 30 branches, is to be auctioned off to the highest bidder with The Sunday Times reporting that Santander, National Australia Bank and Bank of Ireland are potential bidders. [...]
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, [...]
About | Privacy | Disclaimer | Resources | XML Feeds | Press Releases | Directory | Contact us
