UK banks need to raise £60 billion to meet regulatory risk standards and to cover fines and compensations for mis-selling, the Bank of England says in its Financial Stability Report (FSR). Banks will need between £5 billion and £35 billion to meet regulator risk standards the report said, while a further £4 billion to £10 [...]
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has secured a key agreement allowing the UK government to regulate its banks more strictly than other EU member states. The agreement was secured in Brussels between European Union finance ministers. It allows the UK to ring-fence retail banking operations from riskier investment banking operations in order to protect [...]
Vince Cable has spoken of how bad the British economy has been hit after the global financial crisis. According to the Business Secretary, the crisis and the recession has meant the country is poorer and it has been a “challenge” for the Government to explain what a bad state the economy is in. Speaking to [...]
Official figures today from Statistics Iceland revealed the economy contracted 1.5% in the October the December period. The figures come after the economy grew for the first time in the third quarter after contracting for seven consecutive quarters. The small economy of Iceland only emerged from its deep recession in the third quarter of last [...]
Banking giant Lloyds has today reported it has returned to profit – its first since the bank had to be rescued by the Government at the height of the financial crisis in autumn 2008. Lloyds Banking Group, which is 41% owned by the taxpayer, posted pre-tax profits of £2.2 billion, compared with a £6.3 billion [...]
The US Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission has concluded that the financial crisis of 2008 could have been prevented. The investigation into the crisis, which was overseen by Alan Greenspan – former chairman of US central bank, the Federal Reserve, saw over 700 witnesses interviewed. The 10-member Commission, established in May 2009, said Government officials and [...]
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is set to publish a report on the near collapse of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) following an investigation into the bank. The report, to be published by the end of March, comes after the bank had to be bailed out at the height of the financial crisis in autumn [...]
Iceland has finally emerged from recession after its economy contracted for seven consecutive quarters. Official figures today from Statistics Iceland revealed the economy grew by 1.2% in the July to September period. However, on an annual basis, the economy shrank by 1.6%. The once-thriving financial sector collapsed in October 2008 which led to three of [...]
Outgoing chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group, Eric Daniels, is calling on the Government to allow the bank to keep HBOS. The controversial takeover, which occurred at the height of the financial crisis, could be scrapped if a Government investigation establishes it has damaged competition. Final recommendations with regard to the takeover will be known [...]
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 [...]
Troubled lender, Anglo Irish Bank, has today had its debt rating slashed by credit agency Moody’s, sending the euro down against the US dollar. Moody’s cut the bank’s senior unsecured debt by three notches to Baa3 – just one notch above junk status. It also downgraded Anglo Irish’s subordinated debt by six notches to Caa1. [...]
Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has today warned banks over their excessive bonuses, suggesting the coalition Government will take very serious action if they “pay themselves unjustified bonuses”. Speaking to BBC Radio 4′s Today programme, Mr Clegg said: “Clearly, if the banks pay themselves unjustified bonuses, we reserve the right to take very serious action [...]
A survey by accountancy firm, BDO LLP, has revealed business confidence has slumped to a level not seen since the height of the financial crisis two years ago. The firm’s optimism index (which reflects how businesses expect trading to develop two quarters ahead), fell from 95.5 in July to 93.1 last month. According to BDO, [...]
As the second anniversary of the Lehman Brother collapse nears, regulators and central bank governors have met in Basel, Switzerland this weekend to discuss tougher capital rules. The agreement could force banks to raise fresh equity in order to withstand future downturns in the global financial system. Following the global financial crisis, the G20 leading [...]
Virgin Money is to bring 200 jobs to Edinburgh, it has been announced today. The financial division of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group was granted a banking licence by city watchdog, the Financial Services Authority, earlier this year. The launch of the retail bank later comes at a time when consumers have lost confidence in [...]
Iceland’s Central Bank (Sedlabanki Islands) has slashed its key interest from 8% to 7%. While a cut was expected, it was not as much as economists had forecast after inflation eased and the country’s currency, the krona, strengthened. The central bank has aggressively cut interest rates after they hit a record high of 18% in [...]
Britain’s over-50s have reduced their retirement savings by nearly £18 billion over the last year, according to new research by LV=. The pensions, investments and insurance group found 21% of those approaching retirement have reduced their retirement savings by an average of more than £300 per month in the past 12 months. In the same [...]
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 [...]
Since the financial crisis city bankers, fund managers and financial advisers have become more aware than ever before of green and ethical investment options. Recent research by F&C Investments found 73% of investors would consider taking advantage of an ethical investment trust if one became available. According to the UK sustainable investment and finance association [...]
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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