LDI funds withstanding pressure in gilt market as BoE turns attention to shadow banks June 20, 2023 Liability driven investment funds (LDIs) have maintained “high levels of resilience” despite recent volatility in the gilt market, the Bank of England’s Jonathan Hall said today. Hall, an external member of the Bank’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) said that recent moves in gilt yields had been “significant” as investors reassessed the likelihood of further rate [...]
Why arrears will tick up but banks will not be threatened by rising mortgage costs June 20, 2023 Arrears will tick up as interest rates rise but banks will not have to deal with a major credit event, experts at ratings agencies told City AM. Mortgage rates have spiralled in recent weeks as a result of stubbornly high inflation, meaning consumers will have to pay thousands of pounds a month more for their [...]
UBS set to pay huge fines over Credit Suisse’s Archegos failings June 20, 2023 UBS is reportedly to set to pay out hundreds of millions of dollars in fines over Credit Suisse’s failings linked to the collapsed hedge fund Archegos Capital. Credit Suisse was one of the banks hardest hit by the collapse of Archegos, with the bank facing losses of around $5.5bn. In contrast, UBS faced a $861m [...]
TSB becomes latest bank to press pause on some mortgage lending June 19, 2023 TSB has become the latest lender to press pause on sales of some of its mortgages. The bank said it was removing some mortgages from sale as of 4pm on Monday. The changes apply to products sold both direct and via brokers and TSB is expecting to reintroduce residential deals on Wednesday. For residential mortgages, [...]
Bank of England launches first ‘system-wide’ stress test to shed light on shadow banks June 19, 2023 The Bank of England launched its first system-wide stress test today of the financial sector as it attempts to shed light on the shadow banking sector. Through the tests, the Bank of England hopes to better understand how, during a period of market stress, the behaviour of shadow banks could amplify financial shocks. Shadow banks [...]
Rishi Sunak rules out help for homeowners as mortgage rates top six per cent June 19, 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today ruled out helping struggling mortgage holders despite rates breaching the six per cent mark for the first time since December. Amid surging mortgage rates, the Prime Minister said the government needed to “stick to the plan” to halve inflation rather than offer support to mortgage holders. Speaking on ITV’s Good [...]
Risk-taking is the key to reinvigorating London’s equity markets June 19, 2023 So, structural weakness in London or the unique circumstances of an emerging market family business? That’s the question on many lips after WE Soda bailed out of its London float last week. The chief exec is (unsurprisingly) in the former camp, suggesting that institutional investors are somehow failing to step up in the capital’s battle [...]
Banks tell Sunak that big tech firms need to do more to tackle fraud June 18, 2023 A group of the UK’s largest banks have told Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that big tech firms should help contribute to the reimbursement of fraud victims. According to Sky News, the banks said the rising tide of fraud in the UK is having a “material impact on how attractive the wider UK financial sector is [...]
Mortgage chaos set to hit banks’ bottom line as demand dries up June 18, 2023 Chaos in the mortgage market is likely to lead to big changes in lending as banks seek to find ways to capitalise on rising interest rates, analysts suggest. Over the last few weeks, the mortgage market has been in turmoil after stubbornly high inflation raised the prospect of further rate hikes. “Mounting base interest rates, [...]
Zopa: C-suite hiring spree continues with ex Sainsbury’s, Moonpig and KPMG execs June 16, 2023 Digital bank Zopa has drafted in top figures from Sainsbury’s, Moonpig and KPMG as part of a major leadership shakeup before an expected flotation. The lender announced today Peter Donlon and Kate Erb have been brought in as chief technology officer (CTO) and chief operating officer (COO) It said the moves were made as it [...]