Meet the man who quit the City to reinvent the film industry, one documentary at a time May 9, 2023 City banker Julian Bird set up Lorton Entertainment to show that investing in films could be profitable, and documentaries on Diego Maradona, Oasis and Wayne Rooney have proven him spectacularly right. “I’m not really a massive film fan,” says City banker-turned-unlikely movie mogul Julian Bird. It’s perhaps a surprising statement from someone who has been [...]
Sorry about the takeover, but welcome to the board: Suisse boss to join UBS top team May 9, 2023 Credit Suisse’s boss will join the board of UBS after it closes its rescue takeover of the Swiss banking rival. It is part of a major leadership reshuffle two months after the Government-led rescue takeover of Credit Suisse in a 3.25 billion US dollar (£2.64 billion) deal by UBS. Ulrich Korner, who joined Credit Suisse [...]
Mortgages: Are 100 per cent no deposit loans about to make a comeback? May 9, 2023 One of the UK’s largest building societies is considering launching a no deposit, or 100 per cent loan to value mortgage. Mortgages which do not need a downpayment, or deposit, were phased out after the financial crisis. Although 100 per cent or zero deposit mortgages have been available since 2009, lenders will only offer them [...]
Regulator’s new enforcement proposals meet with mixed reviews from experts May 9, 2023 Plans to encourage self-reporting from financial firms under investigation have received mixed reviews from regulation experts. Under proposals set out last week, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) said subjects under investigation could halve their fines by cooperating early in the investigation. The PRA said the so-called ‘early account scheme’ is designed to provide “greater clarity [...]
Regional US banks open higher as debate over short-selling continues May 8, 2023 Shares in regional US banks climbed on Monday morning following a chastening week last week in the aftermath of First Republic’s collapse. Some of the banks who suffered most last week saw significant gains. PacWest was trading nearly 20 per cent higher. The LA-based bank said late on Friday that it would cut its dividend [...]
Revolut takes the fight to regulators as business secretary seeks ‘urgent’ meeting May 8, 2023 Revolut has attacked UK regulators for being “extremely bureaucratic” twice over the past few days as reports suggest government figures are attempting to soothe the fintech’s concerns. According to the Daily Telegraph, business secretary Kemi Badenoch is seeking an emergency meeting with Revolut to convince it to stay in the UK. The newspaper reported that [...]
Banking crisis reinforces need for ringfencing as government’s consultation comes to an end May 8, 2023 Experts have warned that the recent banking stresses demonstrate the importance of the ringfencing regime as the government’s consultation comes to an end. Treasury ministers are keen to push forward with changes to how banks are forced to separate their retail and commercial activities with, for instance, investment banking operations – reducing the number of [...]
Banking crisis: Ex-BoE’s Paul Tucker calls for regulatory overhaul to battle bank runs May 8, 2023 Banks should be required to keep enough collateral with the central bank to cover all of their short-term deposits, an ex-Bank of England wonk has said. Speaking to the Financial Times, former Bank of England Deputy Governor Paul Tucker said “it would mean that, subject to a bank being fundamentally insolvent, central banks could 100 [...]
Pound Sterling rises to highest level in almost a year as US dollar set for second straight week of decline May 5, 2023 Sterling rose to its highest level in almost a year, as the dollar was broadly softer against other major currencies on Friday. The pound continues to recover, while the banking sector woes added to talk of U.S. rate cuts later this year, ahead of the much-anticipated monthly U.S. jobs report just after midday (GMT). The dollar [...]
Banking shares: Regulators ‘increasingly attentive’ to role of short-sellers in possible 2008 repeat May 5, 2023 U.S. federal and state officials are assessing whether “market manipulation” caused the recent volatility in banking shares, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday, as the White House vowed to monitor “short-selling pressures on healthy banks.” Shares of regional banks resumed their slide this week after the collapse of First Republic Bank, the third [...]