Financial watchdog to ask MPs about debanking experiences August 15, 2023 British politicians are to be asked to reveal whether they have encountered problems or faced being “debanked”, as part of an inquiry by the UK’s financial watchdog. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it is looking into the rules surrounding politically exposed persons (PEPs), which includes MPs. The regime was thrust into the spotlight after [...]
Ranked: The best banks for customer service? Monzo and Starling steam ahead August 15, 2023 Which banks are the best for customer service? A new official ranking has been produced by the consumer regulator
UK banks handling interest rates better than US counterparts – but are lagging on AI August 15, 2023 UK financial services execs are coping better with the bleak market conditions compared to their US counterparts, according to a study by New York-listed Fidelity National Information Services (FIS). While 91 per cent of financial services company executives in the US have expressed that soaring interest rates have been hampering their investments, only 78 per [...]
Fancy a pay rise? Get a job offer from somewhere else… August 14, 2023 More than half of London employers have made use of counteroffers in the past 12 months to try and keep staff as skills shortages persist, according to a new report.
Santander becomes latest bank to cut mortgage rates amid falling inflation August 14, 2023 Santander has become the latest high street lender to reduce the rates of its mortgage deals, following a stream of other cuts by fellow banks last week, in a signal of hope for prospective buyers. On Monday, the bank cut its selected residential purchase and remortgage fixed rates by between 0.05 per cent and 0.29 [...]
Open banking should expand ‘systematically’ as fintech criticises ‘data protectionism’ of big banks August 14, 2023 Regulators should expand open banking rules “systematically” in order to save customers thousands of pounds across a variety of different financial products, experts told City AM. With stakeholders consulting on the next stages of open banking, many in the sector have suggested regulators need to be bold in expanding data sharing rules into new financial [...]
London growth continues to outpace every other region amid interest rate pain August 14, 2023 London’s economy has continued to outpace the rest of the country even as rising interest rates and recessionary fears drag on confidence across the UK, a closely watched survey has revealed.
Co-operative Bank picks up £479m Sainsbury mortgage portfolio amid speculation over banking M&A August 11, 2023 The Co-operative Bank has bought the mortgage portfolio of Sainsbury’s Bank for £464m as speculation over the future of the UK’s mid-sized lenders continues. The portfolio contains around 3,500 customers and is worth nearly £480m. The deal’s completion comes after months of negotiations, with reports earlier in the year suggesting talks between the two had [...]
UBS cancels £8bn backstop agreed to help soothe merger with Credit Suisse August 11, 2023 UBS has voluntarily ended the CHF9bn (£8bn) loss protection deal agreed with the Swiss government following its emergency acquisition of Credit Suisse. The decision followed “a comprehensive assessment of the designated portfolio of Credit Suisse non-core assets, including severe stress loss scenarios,” the bank said. UBS has also terminated the CHF100bn liquidity backstop from the [...]
Profit not process: How our banks grew too bureaucratic for their own good August 11, 2023 Judgement is being impaired by bureaucratic process, write two of the City's foremost lawyers