Deutsche Bank scandal: Courts still chasing billions through tax scams and carbon credits May 7, 2019 Major banks enabled fraudsters to steal billions of pounds of public money through VAT scams, according to documents obtained by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. A decade later, tax authorities are still chasing the money through the courts. Traders in London facilitated the so-called “carousel” fraud by organised crime gangs in 2009, which involved the trading [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland undone by Brexit May 6, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. These were a 'noisy' set of Q1 results from RBS, but probably look 'worse than the reality'. Back in the dividend-paying ranks and with shares up by as much as 25 per cent in 2019, The Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE:RBS) provided investors with a reality check as the state-backed lender [...]
Former high court judge to review Lloyds’ compensation payouts to HBOS fraud victims May 3, 2019 Lloyds Bank has launched an independent review of its HBOS victims compensation scheme. The bank has appointed former high court judge Ross Cranston to assess the outcome of the recently completed customer review, which has handed out more than £96m in compensation to victims of the HBOS Reading fraud. Read more: Former Hbos chief executive [...]
Provident moves to reassure investors as sub-prime lender fights hostile takeover bid from rival Non-Standard Finance May 3, 2019 Doorstep lender Provident Financial reported that the business’s performance has picked up as it continues to fight against a £1.3bn hostile takeover by smaller rival Non-Standard Finance (NSF). The firm reported that customer growth in its Vanquis Bank and home credit division was up 13 and 40 per cent respectively, and said historical regulatory issues [...]
Lloyds Bank: The must-know numbers ahead of Q1 results May 3, 2019 | City Talk By Alistair Strang from interactive investor. Lloyds shares remain in a static state. Our chartist runs the numbers again hoping for a catalyst. When we last reviewed Lloyds Banking Group (LSE:LLOY), we admitted considerable discomfort in projecting the share's future potentials. Instead, we opted for the coward's route, suggesting it was probably going to be [...]
Societe Generale profits fall as French bank implements restructuring plan May 3, 2019 French bank Societe Generale reported a drop in profits as it put in place a restructuring plan following a weak 2018. The figures Read more: Societe Generale to cut 1,600 jobs after investment banking review Profit fell 26 per cent to €631m and revenues dropped 1.6 per cent to €6.19bn. Net losses increased to €51m, [...]
It’s time to fix regulation and scrap socialism for the banks May 3, 2019 For too long, it has been possible for bankers to make massive profits while socialising losses through subsidies, deposit schemes, public ownership, and bailouts in times of crisis. This creates a moral hazard: bankers are encouraged by the regulatory regime to take on excessive risk, allowed to issue limited equity, and in case of a [...]
Making bank: HSBC profits soar past expectations but it warns of global economy risks May 3, 2019 HSBC hailed rocketing profits for its first quarter today as it also sounded a warning over risks to the global economy. Read more: Metro Bank's shares in meltdown after profits halved The figures Reported profit before tax rose 30.7 per cent to $6.2bn in the three months to the end of March, the bank revealed. [...]
UBS shareholders revolt against leadership over €4.5bn French tax fraud fine May 2, 2019 UBS shareholders have refused to approve the performance of the bank’s leadership following a €4.5bn tax evasion fine. The Swiss banking giant was issued the fine by a French court in February after being found guilty of laundering the proceeds of tax evasion. Read more: UBS fined €4.5bn in French tax fraud trial but vows [...]
Activist investor Ed Bramson suffers heavy defeat in battle for seat on Barclays board May 2, 2019 Activist investor Ed Bramson has suffered a heavy defeat in his battle to win a seat on the Barclays board. Shareholders votes came in at 87.2 per cent against his election, as the US-based investor was only able to amass 12.8 per cent of the vote. Aside from his own 5.5 per cent stake, and factoring [...]