Oil flows into Gulf freely as BP shifts cap July 11, 2010 UPDATES to BP’S containment plan caused oil to spill freely into the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend as the company was dealt another financial blow by well partner Anadarko. BP, which started to replace the containment cap on the blown out preventer yesterday, said that updates could take up to six days to complete, [...]
Crucial court date for BT over pension deficit July 11, 2010 TELECOMS giant BT will this morning begin a court case that could have a momentous impact on its future. Trustees of the firm’s pension plan are seeking a ruling on how far the government will underwrite the bloated scheme. If the ruling goes in the trustees’ favour BT will have to pay significantly less to [...]
Deutsche’s Jain tops EU power list July 11, 2010 DEUTSCHE Bank’s investment banking chief Anshu Jain has topped a power list of the 100 most influential people in European financial markets. Jain was named by Financial News as the most powerful financial individual in Europe, beating his own boss – Deutsche’s chief executive Josef Ackermann – into sixth place. This year’s list contains a [...]
BoA hid billions of dollars of debt through bad accounting July 11, 2010 BANK of America (BoA) has admitted it incorrectly classified figures of up to $10.7bn (£7.1bn) in short-term lending and repurchase deals for mortgage securities as sales. The lender said it had beefed up internal accounting controls after the transactions. It flagged up the fault to the Securities and Exchange Commission itself and no punitive action [...]
JC Flowers in mutual deal July 11, 2010 PRIVATE equity firm JC Flowers is in advanced talks with building society Kent Reliance to create a joint venture which could pave the way for a new “mini super-mutual”, transforming the fortunes of the ailing sector. If the deal goes ahead, Kent Reliance will transfer all of its assets and liabilities over to the newly-created [...]
Taylor Wimpey refinancing in a bid to beef up land purchases July 11, 2010 HOUSEBUILDER Taylor Wimpey has returned to the negotiating table with lenders, in a bid to access funding for land purchases. The company, which completed a £1.55bn debt restructuring last year, now wants to refinance its bonds and bank loans, according to the Financial Times. Although the firm’s repayments on debts are not due until July [...]
Lord Levene’s bank eyes up online assets July 11, 2010 LORD Levene and Sir David Walker’s new high street bank plans to scour the market for potential online banking acquisitions after initially launching a bid for a retail branch network. NewBank, which does not yet have an official name, is currently eyeing up state-owned assets put on the block by Lloyds Banking Group and Northern [...]
New easyJet boss set to launch review of business July 11, 2010 CAROLYN MCCALL, easyJet’s newly appointed chief executive is to launch a review of the airline’s business model with plans to deliver her findings to investors in November. The former Guardian Media Group chief is considering whether to appoint a third party to carry out tests on the low-cost airline’s assumptions. EasyJet has yet to decide [...]
Congress edges towards deal on banking reform July 11, 2010 US Democrats will have little margin for error this week as they push for final congressional approval of the most comprehensive rewrite of financial rules since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hopes to take up the sweeping legislation as Congress returns from a weeklong break, even though he has [...]
City office rentals rising at rapid pace July 11, 2010 OFFICE rents in the City have advanced at a record pace this year, rising by nearly 12 per cent in the last quarter and by almost 25 per cent since January, says research out today. Average rents for grade A offices increased from £47.50 per square foot in the first quarter of 2010 to £53 [...]