Metro Bank says turnaround plan is working after cutting losses to £245m February 23, 2022 Metro Bank has said its turnaround plan is working, despite losing £245.1m last year, after its revenues increased 17 per cent despite the economic impacts of Covid-19. The London retail bank said its efforts to cut costs and win over customers had started to work, after it set out its turnaround plan, to rejuvenate its [...]
Barclays freezes share awards for ex-boss as Staley fights Epstein probe February 22, 2022 Barclays has frozen share awards to Jes Staley, its former chief executive, as he contests the an investigation into his ties with Jeffrey Epstein.
HSBC profits double to £13.9bn as lender rebounds from pandemic slowdown February 22, 2022 HSBC has reported profits more than doubled last year as the lender recorded stellar growth across its divisions, driven by the release of expected credit losses stored up over the pandemic and a higher share of profits from the firm's associates.
Named and shamed in ‘global game of chess’: The Russian banks and businessmen the UK has imposed sanctions on February 22, 2022 Five banks named by Boris Johnson earlier today only have a small footprint in the UK, although the largest one Promsvyazbank did have ambitions to float on the London Stock Exchange a decade ago. The sanctions imposed on the five banks and three Russian businessmen are unlikely to have a significant effect on British businesses [...]
UK customers of Monzo hit by SMS-based phishing attack February 22, 2022 UK customers of all-digital bank Monzo are being targeted with an SMS-based phishing campaign, aiming to steal sensitive information from their accounts, according to various reports this morning, including Computing magazine. One of the most important aspects of creating a Monzo account is verifying a customer’s device, normally done through a ‘golden link’ sent to [...]
Barclays prepares to name Anna Cross as first female chief financial officer February 21, 2022 Barclays is reportedly lining up Anna Cross as its next chief financial officer, in a positive step for gender diversity in top banking roles
Morses Club shares tumble 63 per cent as ex-boss dumps £200,000 of shares before profit warning February 21, 2022 The boss of one the UK’s top doorstep lenders dumped around £200,000 of his stake in the firm just before it sounded the alarm on profits to investors today. Paul Smith, chief of Morses Club, a high-cost consumer credit provider, ditched more than half of his stake in the firm last Thursday. Smith unexpectedly left [...]
U.S. plans to sever ties with Russian banks if Ukraine is invaded February 21, 2022 The US has lined up a package of sanctions to slap on Russian financial institutions in the event of an attack on Ukraine, including barring US financial firms from processing transactions for major Russian banks.
City watchdog FCA looking to hire hundreds of new staff to get grip on consumer credit market February 21, 2022 The financial services watchdog is recruiting for a number of senior roles in a push to expand its oversight and supervision of the City’s credit space. The Financial Conduct Authority, based in Stratford, is looking for a lead supervisor for credit and debt as well as a director for consumer finance. In the publicly available [...]
More banker bonuses on the way this week February 21, 2022 Big banker bonuses are back on the table amid a robust rebound in lenders’ profits, annual results are expected to reveal this week. The City is expecting Barclays, which publishes finals on Wednesday, to register a £8.1bn profit haul, up sharply from £3.1bn in 2020 when the pandemic sent the banking sector spiralling. Investors will [...]