Citigroup tops profit estimates on trading bounce July 14, 2020 Citigroup beat analysts’ estimates for profit in the second quarter as its trading desks cashed in on the market volatility caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The uptick allowed it to set aside $5.6bn for a potential surge in loan defaults. The New York-based bank reported a profit of $1.32bn for the three months to the [...]
JP Morgan sets aside $10.5bn to cover loan defaults due to coronavirus pandemic July 14, 2020 Investment bank JP Morgan Chase & Co has set aside $10.5bn (£8.38bn) of reserves to cover a potential surge of loan defaults due to the coronavirus pandemic as US cases of Covid-19 continued to rise. The bank increased its provision for credit losses by $9.3bn compared to the previous year reflecting the “deterioration and increased [...]
Brexit: UK completes assessments for City of London to retain EU access July 13, 2020 The UK has now submitted all paperwork necessary for the City of London to potentially retain access to the EU, after missing the original deadline two weeks ago. The 28 assessments were due on 1 July, however Downing Street previously blamed the EU for missing the deadline as they received much of the paperwork, which [...]
Barclays gave Roger Jenkins £50m payoff after Qatar deal July 13, 2020 Barclays paid its Middle East head Roger Jenkins £50m when he left in 2009, a court has heard. Jenkins, who is on his third day of questioning at a civil trial in London, was discussing his compensation after he helped to secure a lifeline investment from Qatari investors. The bumper payoff was in addition to [...]
Financial services sector banks on a digital future July 9, 2020 | City Talk “We know you enjoy a little trip into town, but you can do your banking online these days…”: a typical multi-generational conversation as a growing number of people turn to online tools to help with their finances. Inevitably it’s not been a smooth journey. Many find comfort in the familiarity of a bricks-and-mortar bank branch [...]
Brexit: Michel Barnier says Brussels ‘ready to grant’ City of London access to EU markets July 8, 2020 EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said Brussels is prepared to grant the City of London access to European markets post-Brexit. New documents released by the House of Lords EU committee show that Barnier recently told the group that Brussels was “ready to grant equivalence”. The EU has the power to unilaterally grant access to [...]
HSBC shares tumble as US mulls Hong Kong crackdown July 8, 2020 HSBC shares have tumbled four per cent after advisers to the US government said they could undermine the Hong Kong dollar’s peg to the US dollar and crack down on banks in the city. The UK and Hong Kong-focused bank has been caught up in a geopolitical struggle over the semi-autonomous city which has seen [...]
Amigo Loans puts former chief Glen Crawford back at the helm July 8, 2020 Amigo Loans’ former chief executive Glen Crawford is to rejoin the business in the same position, following a fraught battle between the board and its multimillionaire founder. Amigo’s share price skyrocketed more than 25 per cent this morning as shareholders reacted to the news. Crawford stepped away from the lender in April last year due [...]
Nearly half of European banks hold a negative profit outlook July 6, 2020 The number of European banks reporting a negative outlook for 2020 has risen significantly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, as the global economy struggles to survive its impact. Data from ratings giant S&P Global revealed 46 per cent of Europe’s banks in its portfolio now hold a negative outlook, up from just 14 [...]
UK banks ‘draw up code of conduct’ for coronavirus business loan defaults July 6, 2020 UK banks are reportedly drawing up a code of conduct for pursuing businesses that default on government-backed coronavirus interruption loans, amid concerns that a high proportion of the loans will never be repaid. Industry body UK Finance and the state-owned British Business Bank (BBB) have begun talks with commercial lenders in the hope of setting [...]