Lloyds Banking Group to cull a further 3,000 jobs as lower for longer interest rates take their toll July 28, 2016 Lloyds Banking Group today revealed that it was slashing thousands of jobs and shutting down many branches, as ultra-low interest rates continue to play havoc on the sector's prospects. The bank announced an additional 3,000 role reductions and another 200 branch closures. These cuts will take place by the end of 2017 and are on top of [...]
Investment banks have taken a wait and see approach to Brexit July 28, 2016 London's investment banks are continuing to take a wait and see approach to the UK’s decision to quit the European Union more than one month after the vote. Of the 20 biggest investment banks in the UK, 40 per cent have so far expressed a view on the vote. Half of those institutions that have [...]
Jose Vinals to replace Sir John Peace as chairman at Standard Chartered July 27, 2016 Standard Chartered has today announced that it has today appointed Jose Vinals as chairman. Vinals, who is currently the financial counsellor and director of the monetary and capital markets department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will join the board on as chairman designate on 3 October, before formally taking over from Sir John Peace at the start of December. [...]
Shawbrook becomes the latest challenger to be unshaken by Brexit July 27, 2016 Following in Virgin Money's footsteps, Shawbrook has today waved away the Brexit woes facing challenger banks by showing off a boost to its bottom line. The figures The challenger bank reported profits before tax for the first half of 2016 of £35.2m, up from £24.7m in the first half of 2015. Meanwhile, underlying profit before tax [...]
Currency swings sting Santander, causing underlying profits and income to dip July 27, 2016 Santander today proved currency swings can be the undoing of even the best intentions, as it reported a drop in profits and income for its first half of the year. The figures Attributable profits for the group were less than glowing, down 31.7 per cent at €2.9bn (£2.4m), from €4.3bn in the first half of [...]
Metro Bank heads closer to profit, as chief exec shrugs off Brexit fears July 27, 2016 Metro Bank revealed it was closer to moving out of the red today, as its chief executive waved away any Brexit woes. The figures The challenger bank reported an underlying loss after tax of £4.1m for its quarter to June, a 45 per cent shift towards the black on the £7.6m loss it reported last year, and a 48 per [...]
Deutsche Bank warns weak economic environment could lead to more intense restructuring plans as company reports a fall in profits for the quarter July 27, 2016 The boss of Deutsche Bank confirmed today that it's a tough time for the sector, as the lender reported an €800m (£670.3m) slip in profits before taxes for its most recent quarter. The figures The German banking giant reported income before taxes of €408m in its second quarter, a 67 per cent fall from €1.2bn for the same [...]
Italian challenger bank FinecoBank set to enter UK market July 27, 2016 An Italian bank is set to enter the UK this autumn as another contender in the challenger banks’ battle against the Big Four. FinecoBank launched in 1999 as a subsidiary of UniCredit Group and has grown rapidly to have 1.1m Italian customers. It’s disrupting the banking industry by being the only company in Europe to combine [...]
Ex-Barclays Cartel member told “life isn’t fair” as he was shown the door, court hears July 26, 2016 A former Barclays trader was told "life isn't fair" shortly before being fired, a court heard today. Chris Ashton was disciplined by the bank in April last year. He was previously a member of "The Cartel", a chat room used by senior traders at a number of banks to share information in a bid to shift currency benchmarks in [...]
Businesses react angrily as RBS tells business customers: We may charge you to hold your deposits if interest rates go negative July 26, 2016 Businesses have reacted angrily after RBS and its subsidiary, NatWest, wrote to business customers to warn that they may have to charge them to hold deposits if interest rates go negative. In a letter to business and commercial banking customers, the lender wrote that it was making a number of changes to their terms and conditions – [...]