The US Treasury has disposed of its remaining stake in Citigroup - bringing a net profit to taxpayers of $12 billion (£7.6 billion). The banking giant, which was badly hit during the financial crisis, was the recipient of a $45 billion cash bailout in 2008 and 2009, with the funds coming from the Troubled Asset [...]
Wall Street banking giant JPMorgan has kicked off the reporting season with a bang by posting fourth quarter profits of $3.28 billion (£2 billion) compared with $702 million a year ago - at the height of the financial crisis. Meanwhile, the bank reported full-year profits of $11.7 billion, or $2.26 per share, on record revenue [...]
After the $700 billion (£430 billion) bailout of the banking industry, US President Barack Obama has now asked banks to do their part and increase lending to small and medium-size businesses. A meeting yesterday with executives from Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup, among others, came a day after Mr Obama said he had [...]
US President Barack Obama has suggested using leftover funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to create jobs and cut the US deficit. Mr Obama told reporters that “TARP has turned out to be much cheaper than we had expected although not cheap,” and he is aiming to cut the country’s unemployment rate - [...]
Bank of America is to repay the $45 billion (£27 billion) of US Government bailout funds. The banking giant received the funds at the height of the financial crisis after accepting the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). The repayment of the loan will see the bank escape curbs on executive pay, which in turn, has [...]
Investment bank Goldman Sachs has again exceeded analysts expectations by reporting a net profit of $3.4 billion (£2.1 billion) for the April-June period of this year. The bank, which had to be bailed out by the US Government, is currently under fire for plans to pay out staff bonuses averaging $226,000 per employee, totalling $6.65 [...]
Ten US banks have been given approval to repay a combined $68 billion (£41 billion) in Government bailout money, said the US Treasury. In a sign that stability is returning to the banking sector, the banking giants will repay some of the money it was loaned in the US Government’s $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief [...]
JP Morgan Chase have followed fellow investment bank Goldman Sachs by beating analysts’ expectations for its first quarter results. JP Morgan said profits for the first three months of 2009 were $2.1 billion (£1.41 billion), resulting in a rise of 2.6% in its share price today on Wall Street. The US bank is one of [...]
First-time buyer mortgages remain in short supply
The Funding for Lending scheme (FLS) is failing to boost the supply of mortgages for first-time buyers, according to financial information service Moneyfacts. FLS, which was launched by the Treasury and the Bank of England in August, is designed to reduce funding costs for lenders, allowing them to increase their lending to businesses and individuals, [...]
Basic bank account standards at risk
Consumer Focus, the statutory consumer champion, is calling for a minimum standard for basic bank accounts to be introduced, to ensure the survival of the product. Basic bank accounts are used by people who are unable to open a regular current account, perhaps because of a poor credit history. It is estimated that they are [...]
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 [...]
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