Lloyds Banking Group shares took a pounding on Friday after it warned of multi billion pound losses at HBOS, the bank it rescued last September. Shares in Lloyds, which is 43% owned by the taxpayer, plummeted 40% within a few minutes of the news being announced, but recovered slightly to close at 61.4p. Chief executive [...]
The ex-bosses of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and HBOS have apologised “profoundly and unreservedly” for the near-collapse of their banks. Speaking to the Treasury Select Committee, Sir Fred Goodwin, former chief executive of RBS said he “could not be more sorry” for the events that led to the bank’s demise. Furthermore, ex-chairman of RBS, [...]
Lloyds Banking Group launched a new campaign this week to reunite customers with £100 million held in dormant bank accounts. The banking group – created this month by a merger between Lloyds TSB and Halifax Bank of Scotland – said it is paying for a national advertising drive that will encourage customers to check if [...]
A group of 222 homeowners trapped in shared appreciation mortgages (SAMS) have begun a new stage in their fight for compensation by sending out a letter before legal action to Barclays and HBOS (now part of Lloyds Banking Group). SAMS are a form of equity release sold by Barclays and HBOS during the late 1990s, [...]
The new Lloyds Banking Group, formed by the merger of Lloyds TSB and HBOS, has received legal approval by a court in Edinburgh and will commence trading next week. The news comes just one day after it was announced that the new banking giant will be 43.4% owned by the taxpayer, after investors bought just [...]
The new Lloyds Banking Group, formed by the merger of Lloyds TSB and HBOS, is set to be 43.4% owned by the taxpayer, after investors bought just 0.5% of shares on offer from Lloyds TSB and 0.24% of stock on offer from HBOS. The new banking giant is set to commence trading next week, subject [...]
Pension fund trustees at HBOS are threatening to block the proposed merger with Lloyds TSB until better protection is put in place for the scheme’s 80,000 members. Out of the nine trustees, seven are due to meet at the end of the week to decide whether to challenge the merger in the Scottish courts. The [...]
According to the BBC’s Panorama programme, The Year Britain’s Bubble Burst, screened last night, HBOS and RBS were on the brink of collapse in early October. The programme unveiled that the banks were finding it difficult obtaining short-term funding. It is believed that the banks would have collapsed without the funding and were forced to [...]
The Government yesterday announced further help for mortgage borrowers who are falling behind with repayments. The new measures should mean that middle-income homeowners who lose their jobs or part of their income are less likely to face repossession. In a scheme guaranteed by the state, borrowers will be able to approach their lenders to request [...]
A group of businessman have launched a legal challenge against the proposed Lloyds TSB / HBOS merger, claiming the Government’s approval was illegal. The Merger Action Group (MAG), which is led by Malcolm Fraser, claimed that business secretary, Lord Mandelson, waived competition rules and that his decision was ‘unlawful‘. Mr Fraser, an Edinburgh architect who [...]
From 1st December homeowners selling residential properties in Scotland will need to provide potential purchasers with a Home Report. The reports include a survey, valuation, energy assessment and a questionnaire that has been completed by the vendor. As with the introduction of Home Information Packs in England and Wales during 2007/08, the timing is seen [...]
Lloyds TSB shareholders voted today on the proposed takeover of Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) with 95.98% voting in favour of the deal. Shareholders also approved proposals to raise £5.5 billion by issuing new shares and special preference shares. The takeover will create a new banking giant called Lloyds Banking Group, which will comprise almost [...]
Shareholders in Lloyds TSB are to vote today on the proposed takeover of Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS). Lloyds’ shareholders are expected to vote in favour of the takeover, which will create a new UK banking giant called Lloyds Banking Group, which will comprise almost 150,000 staff and 3,000 branches. However, not everyone has been [...]
Sir George Mathewson, former chief executives of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Sir Peter Burt, former chief executive of Bank of Scotland (BoS), are trying to convince HBOS shareholders they will not benefit from the current Lloyds TSB deal on the table. The merger of the two banking giants, which will create Lloyds Banking [...]
A new company called UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI) is to oversee the Government’s shareholdings in the three High Street banks it rescued last month. It was announced recently that the UK Government is to pump £37 billion into three of the country’s largest banks. £20 billion is to be injected into Royal Bank of [...]
It was confirmed this morning that the Lloyds TSB and HBOS merger is proceeding and the new name for the company was unveiled as Lloyds Banking Group. According to Lloyds, its acquisition of HBOS would save it at least £1.5 billion a year, far more than originally anticipated. There have been concerns that the cost [...]
The Lloyds TSB/HBOS merger looks set to proceed after both banks have announced plans to raise up to £17 billion through the Government’s rescue scheme. Today, Lloyds said it plans to raise £4.5 billion from investors with the support of the Government and will offer the Government preference shares worth £1 billion. Meanwhile, HBOS said [...]
The Lloyds TSB / HBOS merger was approved by the Government at the end of last week but over the weekend, an unnamed bidder has emerged and has been in discussions with the Government with regard to acquiring Halifax Bank of Scotland. According to reports, the low stock market valuation of HBOS has appealed to [...]
The terms of Lloyds TSB’s takeover for Halifax owner, HBOS, have been revised. HBOS shareholders will now receive 0.605 shares for each HBOS share they own, revised from the original offer last month of 0.833. The news comes as the Government announces a £37 billion rescue plan, which will see £20 billion injected into Royal [...]
Shares on the FTSE 100 index have risen this morning on the news that the UK Government is to pump £37 billion into three of the country’s largest banks. Under the terms of the deal, banks have agreed to scrap executive bonuses for the current year and future bonuses will be paid in the form [...]
Phone fraudsters stealing bank card pins
Fraudsters using a phone scam to trick bank card holders into revealing their pin numbers stole £750,000 in the first four months of this year. This is the same amount stolen through this scam in the whole of last year. The fraudster telephones a bank customer, often someone elderly or vulnerable, telling them that their [...]
FSA rules out ban on interest-only mortgages
Speculation that the Financial Services Authority would ban interest-only mortgages as part of its Mortgage Market Review has proved to be unfounded. However, lenders will be required to monitor the performance of the investment product taken out by the customer to repay the mortgage at the end of its term. Investments are performing poorly because [...]
Bank of England may end free in-credit banking
A director of the Bank of England has warned that official intervention could be considered to end the ‘dangerous myth of free in-credit banking’. Andrew Bailey has already spoken out against free banking in relation to the mis-selling of financial products. In a speech made available to media, he reiterated his concern, saying that it [...]
Bank of England votes against more economic stimulus
The Bank of England voted against a further round of quantitative easing, at its latest Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. Just one member, David Miles, voted for further asset purchase to encourage growth in the UK economy, while the other eight members voted to keep the Bank’s quantitative easing programme steady at £325bn. The minutes [...]
Catalogue debt growing says helpline
Calls from people concerned about their debts with mail order catalogues accounted for more than 12 per cent of all calls received by National Debtline last year, compared with just 8 per cent in 2007. More people were concerned about catalogue debt than about payday loans, mortgage or rent, according to the Money Advice Trust [...]
Homeserve faces mis-selling investigation
HomeServe, which provides emergency insurance cover and domestic repairs to households in the UK, is to be investigated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Issues over the possible mis-selling of household emergency policies were uncovered last October during an internal review at the Walsall-based company. Homeserve’s call centre staff were found to be selling ‘Complete [...]
OFT warns Wonga over debt collection methods
Payday loan company Wonga used aggressive and misleading methods to collect debts from customers, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has found. Wonga sent letter and emails to certain customers suggesting they had committed fraud and threatening to report them to the police if they did not act in the way Wonga suggested. The company [...]
NS&I re-launches investment account
National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has re-launched its Investment Account at a higher interest rate than it previously offered. The account now offers 0.75 per cent before tax, compared with between 0.2 and 0.3 per cent previously, depending on the account balance. Deposits and withdrawals on the account can no longer be made at Post [...]
Rightmove reports property downsizing trend
Two in five property owners planning to sell in the next year are planning to ‘trade down’, compared with one in four who plan to ‘trade up’. A survey by property website Rightmove found that moving to a smaller home is the main reason for moving in nine out of the ten regions in the [...]
More people failing to save for retirement
The proportion of people with no pension savings has grown from 20 per cent to 22 per cent over the past year, according to Scottish Widows’ latest survey. The pension provider surveyed 5,200 adults in the UK, aged 30 or over, and earning at least £10,000 a year, for its annual review of pensions. Ian [...]
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