Norcros sees sales slightly down August 12, 2009 Shower and tile maker Norcros yesterday reported sales down 3.7 per cent at constant currency levels in the 18 weeks to 2 August. The company said in a trading update that its UK businesses had continued to perform well, but warned that its South African operations had been hit by falling demand.
AIG offloads pair of businesses August 12, 2009 US insurer giant AIG said yesterday that it is to sell its Hong Kong finance business to China Construction Bank Asia for $70m in cash and $557m in debt. The group is also selling its Indian IT unit to MphasiS for an undisclosed sum.
FSA AND TORIES AT WAR OVER BONUSES August 12, 2009 THE FINANCIAL Services Authority (FSA) and the Tories were at loggerheads last night over the regulator’s plans to reform bank bonuses. The FSA, which published its final remuneration code yesterday, faced claims that it had watered down its proposals in the face of pressure from City bankers. But the City watchdog hit back, saying it [...]
SWISS AND US REACH DEAL IN UBS TAX EVASION PROBE August 12, 2009 THE SWISS and US governments have reached a preliminary agreement in the long-running dispute about UBS clients suspected of tax evasion. US Justice Department attorney Stuart Gibson said the two sides had “initialled” a settlement, avoiding a potentially long and costly court case. The details of the deal were not released, although it is thought [...]
On-site visits form part of FSA strategy August 12, 2009 STUNG by criticism that it is being soft on City banks, the Financial Services Authority said yesterday it would shortly be starting on-site visits to look at individual contracts of City bankers. The visits are designed to ensure banks are not taking excessive risks when they draw up their bonuses policy. “We’ve got the toughest [...]
Regulator adopts a measured Code for bonuses August 12, 2009 NEWS that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) wants to influence but not emasculate the bank bonus culture is welcome, but was the only sensible option. The City watchdog has clearly listened to industry concerns, particularly the worry that an excessive clampdown on remuneration would spark an exodus of workers overseas. Jocelyn Mitchell, employment partner at [...]
City up in arms over academics’ calls for a windfall tax on banking bonuses August 12, 2009 LEADING City figures yesterday slammed the idea of a windfall tax on bonuses floated by a group of university professors, labelling it “gratuitous”, “impossible” and “absurd”. The 14 business school academics, writing in a letter to The Guardian newspaper, said money raised should be injected into public services, to reimburse taxpayers for the billions used [...]
Fed sounds an upbeat note August 12, 2009 THE US Federal Reserve yesterday sounded a cautiously optimistic note about the US economy as it said it would keep its key interest rate unchanged at between 0 and 0.25 per cent. It also announced it would extend the government’s $300bn (£182bn) programme to buy Treasury bonds until October. The bond purchase, part of the [...]
Insight sold to BNY Mellon August 12, 2009 LLOYDS Banking Group has confirmed that it is to sell its Insight Investment unit to Bank of New York Mellon in a £235m cash-plus-shares deal. The bank, which has been conducting a review of its asset management businesses with an eye to disposals, said it had reached an agreement in principle with BNY Mellon, ending [...]
Lok’n Store chief executive calls storage recession proof August 12, 2009 SELF-storage firm Lok’n Store is defying the gloom and will continue its winning streak, chief executive Andrew Jacobs said yesterday. Despite fears that the storage sector would suffer from the property slump, Jacobs revealed the group’s rate of storage occupancy was now up 10 per cent from the beginning of 2009, and was now achieving [...]