UBS spending over £830m on IT system overhaul October 17, 2016 Swiss private bank UBS is spending around 1bn Swiss francs (£831m) on an overhaul of its IT system. The group wants to standardise the IT platform across its flagship wealth management business and said the investment will ultimately save money. "This is about integrating our historically fragmented infrastructure that we have globally into one platform," [...]
Great expectations? Bank of America comfortably beats estimates for third quarter October 17, 2016 Shares in Bank of America nudged up in early trading today, after the lender reported earnings which sailed past expectations. The figures The US bank reported net income of $5bn (£4.1bn), up seven per cent from the prior year's $4.6bn. Meanwhile, earnings per share grew to $0.41, an increase of eight per cent from $0.38 and beating out [...]
City must choose which access rights are most important ahead of Brexit talks October 17, 2016 The City must choose which rights its financial services sector actually needs, and which are just nice to have, before it gets to the Brexit negotiating table. The report by Open Europe stresses that the passporting regime does not consist of one set of rights and those involved in the Brexit talks should therefore focus on [...]
Stress and the city: Bankers feel the pressure but fear admitting it to bosses October 17, 2016 Rising stress levels among investment bankers have led two thirds to consider quitting their jobs, according to new research seen exclusively by City A.M. However, despite the admission senior banking employees believe that talking about their stress or mental health issues in the workplace will damage their careers. According to the MetLife research, 40 per cent [...]
This would-be bank has taken a key step towards getting its licence October 16, 2016 Acorn Financial Partners has today applied for a banking licence from the regulators. The challenger bank in the making, which will initially focus its efforts on small businesses in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, will be called Redwood Bank once it is authorised. Acorn is hopeful the banking licence will be granted by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in [...]
Get ready for round two of US bank earnings, with Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America reporting this week October 16, 2016 Wall Street investors are likely eyeing this week with trepidation, as a slew of US financial giants gear up to release quarterly earnings. Bank of America will kick off the week, releasing third quarter earnings on Monday. Goldman Sachs will report on Tuesday, Morgan Stanley on Wednesday and Bank of New York Mellon on Thursday. Bank [...]
Financial and professional services are our entire nation’s Crown Jewels October 14, 2016 I have spent much of the past year speaking to employees, employers and entrepreneurs from across this great country. In December I went to Northern Ireland, in March to Scotland, in July to the North of England, and last week to Bristol and Cardiff – 12 UK cities in total. After each of these trips [...]
Citigroup beats expectations but revenues still fall October 14, 2016 One of the US' largest lenders has surprised and delighted investors by reporting a smaller than expected fall in revenues. The figures Revenues fell five per cent to $17.8bn (£14.6bn) in the third quarter, beating expectations of $17.3bn. Meanwhile, net income fell 11 per cent to $3.8bn, pushing earnings per share down to $1.24, from $1.31 the year before. Banking revenues fell six per cent to $4.1bn, although investment banking [...]
Profits dip at Wells Fargo as it deals with departure of boss John Stumpf October 14, 2016 Wells Fargo has revealed profits dipped during the three months to the end of September, in a week that's seen its chief exec John Stumpf make a dramatic departure. The figures Net income was down to $5.64bn (£4.6bn) from $5.8bn last year, and earnings per share dropped to $1.03 from $1.05. Revenues rose to $22.3bn [...]
Flash crash trader loses challenge against extradition to the US at the High Court October 14, 2016 Navinder Sarao, the trader accused by US authorities of contributing to a 2010 flash crash, cannot appeal a ruling that he must be extradited to the US to face charges carrying a maximum sentence of 380 years. At the High Court today, Lord Justice Gross said it was "clear" the court must turn down his application. [...]