Aviva joins dormant asset scheme as programme expands to insurance and pension funds June 5, 2023 Insurance giant Aviva joined the dormant asset scheme today as the programme opened up to pensions and insurance firms. Aviva will join over 40 banks and building societies that currently participate in the scheme. Kirsty Cooper, group general counsel and company secretary, said Aviva had been working with the Reclaim Fund and dormant asset scheme [...]
HSBC criticised for ‘political decision’ to close Hong Kong opposition party bank accounts June 5, 2023 HSBC has been criticised for closing bank accounts held by one of the few remaining opposition parties in Hong Kong as well as some of its core members. According to the Hong Kong Free Press, HSBC has closed three accounts belonging to the League of Social Democrats. In a letter explaining the decision, the bank [...]
UBS expects to complete Credit Suisse deal within a week June 5, 2023 UBS expects to complete the acquisition of Credit Suisse as early as 12 June but reports suggest its next earnings statement will be delayed until the end of August. In a regulatory filing today, UBS confirmed Credit Suisse will be delisted from the Swiss stock exchange when the deal is complete. It said Credit Suisse [...]
London seals European finance investment crown every year since Brexit June 5, 2023 London is beating away the dire warnings that Brexit would knock it off its perch as Europe’s top finance hive and is even drawing in more investors amid high inflation and interest rates, a new report out today unveils. Foreign investors pumped cash into 46 financial services projects in the capital last year, up from [...]
Paragon Bank set to deliver strong results as interest rates rise June 4, 2023 Paragon Bank is set to post another strong set of results this week as analysts expect the FTSE 250 lender to benefit from rising interest rates.
Barclays, Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to shut 63 more branches – including in London June 2, 2023 Two of the country’s biggest banking giants have announced they are slashing another 63 branches, taking away services from local communities around the UK. Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group between them announced a series of closures which are due to take place later this year or early next year. Barclays said on Friday it was [...]
HSBC leads banks’ plans to hike savings rates – and analysts say they could go up even further June 2, 2023 HSBC UK is boosting the interest rates on some savings accounts with increases of up to 0.75 percentage points, the bank has announced. The increases will come into effect next week, on Thursday June 8. They include a 0.75 percentage point increase on the bank’s mysavings and premier savings youth accounts, taking rates to 5.00 [...]
Natwest set to receive £47m after reducing stake in Irish bank Permanent TSB June 2, 2023 Natwest and the Irish finance ministry have sold nearly 55m shares in Permanent TSB, representing about 10 per cent of the Irish bank’s share capital. The sale reduces Natwest’s share holding from around 16.7 per cent to around 11.7 per cent. The Irish government will continue to hold 57.4 per cent of the bank. The [...]
Wall Street rises on hopes the Fed may take it easier on rate hikes June 2, 2023 Wall Street rose on Thursday with hopes that the Federal Reserve may soon take it easier on its hikes to interest rates. The S&P 500 rallied 1 per cent after a suite of reports painted a picture of a split US economy. The job market remains solid, but manufacturing is weakening and retailers are seeing [...]
Ex-JP Morgan executive wrote Epstein ‘should not be a client’ in 2011 email June 1, 2023 A former JP Morgan Chase executive wrote in a 2011 email that the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein should not be a client of the bank, according to a transcript of a deposition of chief executive Jamie Dimon seen by Reuters. Dimon said in the deposition he was not aware of the email at [...]