Nomura aims for Top 5 ranking June 24, 2009 Japan’s Nomura is aiming for a place at investment banking’s top table after buying chunks of the Lehman Brothers empire. “Our declared goal is to become a top 5 global investment bank,” said Germany co-head Patrick Schmitz-Morkramer. Nomura bought Lehman’s Asian, European and Middle East operations in September, shortly after the Wall Street bank failed, [...]
Treasury appoints B&B valuer June 24, 2009 The Treasury has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) valuation expert Peter Clokey as independent valuer for the Bradford & Bingley compensation scheme. Shares in the mortgage lender were transferred into temporary public ownership last September as it neared collapse. Clokey will now lead a PwC team to determine the value of any compensation payable to shareholders of [...]
ECB pumps in record 442bn to boost Eurozone lending June 24, 2009 THE European Central Bank (ECB) pumped a record €442bn (£375bn) into money markets yesterday for 12 months in an attempt to improve bank lending and drag the Eurozone economy out of recession. A record 1,121 banks scrambled to take up the ECB’s offer of unlimited funds at a fixed rate of one per cent, as [...]
Polar Capital gets share fillip June 24, 2009 Shares in Polar Capital gained 2.7 per cent yesterday after the hedge fund firm posted full-year results showing adjusted diluted earnings per share down 32 per cent to 9.9p, ahead of analysts’ expectations. Assets under management fell 52 per cent to $1.5bn (£913m) but all six of its funds have posted positive returns in the [...]
GM seeks new bid for EU arm June 24, 2009 General Motors is soliciting rival bids to trump frontrunner Magna’s offer for its European operations, with China’s Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation (BAIC) expected to seek a deal. BAIC is understood to be preparing an offer to be submitted before the end of July, while Belgium-based investor RHJ International may also put in a bid. Canadian [...]
IN&M extends debt ‘standstill’ June 24, 2009 Independent News & Media has reached an agreement with creditors to extend a “standstill” agreement, giving the media organisation more time to negotiate a restructuring of its debt. The company said a deal had been struck with bondholders, allowing more time for talks on how to restructure a €200m (£170m) that was due for repayment [...]
Firms want new code of practice June 24, 2009 A clutch of the UK’s largest firms have called for the code of best practice covering boardrooms to be loosened, to allow them to opt out of guidelines. Companies including British Airways, Marks & Spencer (M&S) and Cable & Wireless want a change to the code’s ethos of “comply or explain” because they believe investors [...]
The gravy train shows no sign of hitting the buffers June 23, 2009 YESTIMOTHY BARBERIF the size of RBS boss Stephen Hester’s pay package wasn’t already invoking the wrath of the new breed of mealy-mouthed ascetics, the news that his bank is spending £300,000 on Wimbledon hospitality has really got them frothing into their sackcloth. These people seem to dream of some shining future in which MPs don’t [...]
Just say no when it comes to pay holidays June 23, 2009 DEAR VEXED, with all this talk of firms asking to take a pay holiday, I am worried that my boss might ask me to work for free. I can’t afford it, but I’m worried that it might be a trick to test our loyalty. Help! Jessica, 26, broker The saying goes that there is one [...]
Lending weak but mortgage approvals up June 23, 2009 THERE was more good news for the UK housing market yesterday in the shape of mortgage approvals data from the British Bankers’ Association (BBA). The BBA said approvals for home purchase numbered 31,162 in May, compared to 29,018 in April. This marks a 15.8 per cent increase on the same period in 2008. BBA statistics [...]