Bank lobby chief says changes to coronavirus loan scheme may be necessary April 15, 2020 The head of Britain’s banking lobby group has said the government’s coronavirus business loan scheme may need to change in order to increase lending to smaller businesses. UK Finance chief executive Stephen Jones told the Treasury Select Committee today that the government may need to guarantee 100 per cent of loans for small businesses, instead [...]
Citi profit halves as US banks brace for coronavirus impact April 15, 2020 Citigroup’s profit slumped almost 50 per cent in the first quarter as it became the latest US bank to beef up its loan reserves in a bid to mitigate the impact of coronavirus. The bank’s net income dropped 46 per cent year on year to $2.5bn (£2bn), or $1.05 per share. This was down from [...]
Goldman Sachs profit nearly halves as coronavirus hits investment April 15, 2020 Profit at Goldman Sachs dropped more than 45 per cent in the first quarter of 2020 compared to a year earlier as the coronavirus slowdown hit the Wall Street giant’s asset management arm, its latest earnings report showed today. Goldman’s net earnings for the January to March period were $1.21bn (£970m), down 46 per cent [...]
Bank of America profit nearly halves after it sets aside $4.8bn to cover bad loans April 15, 2020 Bank of America said today its profit for the first quarter was down 45 per cent on the same period last year as it set aside billions to cover expected loan defaults. The lender said its earnings for the three months to 31 March were $4bn (£3.2bn), compared to $7.3bn for the same period in [...]
Standard Chartered bans staff from using Zoom and Google Hangouts April 15, 2020 Standard Chartered has become the first major bank to ban staff from using Zoom during the coronavirus crisis due to cybersecurity concerns. In a note to managers, seen by Reuters, chief executive Bill Winters last week also warned against holding virtual meetings on Google Hangouts. It comes amid growing scrutiny of Zoom’s security standards as [...]
Insurer Hastings to pay dividend despite Bank of England warning April 15, 2020 Hastings said today it would go ahead with its planned dividend despite a warning from the Bank of England to the insurance industry to think carefully before paying out cash to shareholders. Car insurer Hastings said it did not offer any lines affected by coronavirus such as travel or business interruption insurance. Hastings also said [...]
Businesses still struggling to access coronavirus loan scheme, says BCC April 15, 2020 Only two per cent of businesses have successfully managed to access the government’s coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS), according to a survey published today. Nine per cent of respondents to the survey by the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) said they were unsuccessful with slow or no response from lenders the main reason cited. [...]
Barclays halts job cuts while coronavirus crisis ongoing April 14, 2020 Barclays has halted new job cuts while the coronavirus is ongoing the bank said in a memo. Barclays said it is also supporting staff in the process of being made redundant, the memo seen by Reuters said. The lender said it would support staff by paying up to 80 per cent of an employee’s wages [...]
JP Morgan’s profit dives on coronavirus credit provisions April 14, 2020 JP Morgan said today that its profit for the first quarter was 68 per cent down on a year previously after it set aside $6.8bn (£5.4bn) in coronavirus-related credit provisions. The bank reported net earnings of $2.9bn, down from $9.2bn for the same period last year. JP Morgan said reported revenue for the quarter was [...]
Coronavirus: Banks approve 1.2m mortgage holidays amid financial strain April 14, 2020 More than 1.2m UK households have agreed mortgage holidays with their banks, figures have shown, as the coronavirus crisis causes borrowers unprecedented financial stress. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced on 17 March that households with mortgages would be entitled to three-month payment holidays, meaning payments would be suspended. It was part of an unprecedented coronavirus response [...]