HSBC calls for “calm consideration” following Brexit vote, as profits slide thanks to uncertain environment August 3, 2016 HSBC has today revealed its pre-tax profits have fallen 29 per cent during its first half of 2016, while suggesting it will be taking a cautious but calm approach to the Brexit vote. The figures The bank reported profits before tax for the first six months of the year of $9.7bn (£7.3bn), down 28.7 per cent from $13.6bn, calling it [...]
Bank of England stress tests “worse than useless” according to free market think tank August 3, 2016 The Bank of England's stress-testing regime is “worse than useless” according to a new report from free market think tank the Adam Smith Institute. The tests gave the UK's banking system a clean bill of health in 2015, but the think tank argues that the regime is riven with fundamental flaws. And days after alarm bells were [...]
Banking shares plunge across Europe as stress test fallout rumbles on August 2, 2016 Shares in Europe's leading banks have been dumped again today as the sector's woes pile up and questions over the rigour of recent stress test pushed sentiment down. German lenders Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank are trading at all time lows and the problems facing Italy's financial services remains top of the agenda. Commerzbank issued a profit [...]
Commerzbank shares tank as pre-tax profits almost half and it warns there could be more to come August 2, 2016 Shares in Commerzbank have plummeted to their lowest-ever level today, after the bank revealed a slump in profits in its half-year results and warned the current business environment could continue to hamper its performance. The figures Pre-tax profits at the bank fell to €575m (£485.8m) for the first half of 2016, down from €1bn the year before. Meanwhile, revenues before [...]
Santander UK makes bid for RBS’ Williams & Glyn unit August 2, 2016 Santander UK has put forward a bid to buy what would be RBS' Williams & Glyn unit. RBS was instructed to sell the Williams & Glyn unit, which is more than 300 branches strong, by the end of 2017, as part of its £45bn state bailout deal. However, the bank warned in April that it might [...]
Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse booted from top stock market index August 2, 2016 The bad news just keeps on coming for the naughty children of the European banking sector. To top off what has been one of the finest examples of a corporate annus horribilis, both Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse are to be kicked out of the Eurostoxx 50 after their market cap has shrunk to record lows. [...]
Matteo Renzi: Italian banks not the bane of Europe August 2, 2016 Italy's Prime Minister has today hit back at critics' claims his country's banks are some of the most burdensome in Europe's banking sector. The country's banks are thought to be saddled with approximately €360bn (£304.7bn) of non-performing loans and it has been widely speculated that Renzi has recently been trying to arrange a capital injection for the sector with [...]
Banks’ share prices dip after FCA announces PPI deadline August 2, 2016 UK bank stocks dipped in early trading today, after the City watchdog announced that it was pushing back its deadline for payment protection insurance (PPI) complaints. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it plans to set a cut-off point for PPI claims that will fall by the end of June 2019 at the latest. Previously, banks had been [...]
UBS rogue trader Kweku Adoboli says his actions were like a self-sacrifice to chase his employer’s goals August 1, 2016 Rogue trader Kweku Adoboli has hit back at suggestions he acted out of greed, correcting his critics by saying his actions were motivated by wanting to benefit his employer. Adoboli was convicted on two counts of fraud in 2012 after his unauthorised trading lost Swiss banking giant UBS £1.4bn. He was released from prison last summer [...]
The state of Europe’s banks is far from steady August 1, 2016 Bank investors rejoice! The European Banking Authority (EBA) has declared stress tests should no longer be about pushing fresh capital into the system or drilling down into asset quality. No. The good news is that “steady-state monitoring” is what’s needed. So will this provide the assurance investors need? I’m not convinced. Even if stock prices [...]