Cerberus in hedge fund solution July 9, 2009 Private equity firm Cerberus is to place investors seeking withdrawals from one of its hedge funds into a special purpose vehicle, a source said yesterday. The firm has sent a letter to clients stating the vehicle will sell assets over time and make cash distributions. For investors remaining in the fund, fees will be reduced. [...]
More Corus jobs under threat July 9, 2009 Another 366 jobs are under threat at the Scunthorpe unit of giant steelmaker Corus, the group’s Indian owner Tata Steel warned yesterday, as it pushed ahead with plans to align its employment costs with expected steel demand. Tata, the world’s sixth-biggest steelmaker, said consultations with employees at the plant have begun, and it will seek [...]
Segro agrees Brixton offer July 9, 2009 INDUSTRIAL landlord Segro said yesterday it agreed an offer for warehouse specialist Brixton in a deal worth £109.4m. The planned combination will give Segro – formerly known as Slough Estates – a property portfolio worth £5.5bn based on May valuations. Segro is accompanying the Brixton deal with a £250m share issue, half of which will come [...]
Bond insurers obliged to pay out over Bradford & Bingley July 9, 2009 COMPANIES that provide insurance against bond defaults will have to pay out to cover the recent non-payments by nationalised building society Bradford & Bingley (B&B), following a key ruling yesterday. The International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) ruled that B&B’s failure to keep up with payments on £325m of Tier 2 bonds constituted a “credit [...]
STANFORD DENIED BAIL July 9, 2009 ALLEN Stanford, the Texas financier, will remain in jail after a federal judge yesterday denied his request to reconsider detention pending trial. Stanford, who faces criminal fraud charges, was initially granted bail by a judge, but federal prosecutors successfully argued before US District Judge David Hittner that the billionaire was a serious flight risk who [...]
Man boosted by private investor sales July 9, 2009 MAN Group, the world’s largest publicly traded hedge fund, said yesterday funds under management fell over the first quarter of the year, but investors were buoyed by a surge in private investor sales and better-than-expected levels of redemptions. The group reported a 7.5 per cent drop in funds under management over the period, from $46.8bn [...]
FSA will publish complaints July 9, 2009 THE FINANCIAL Services Authority (FSA) is to name and shame financial services companies that provoke the most consumer complaints, bringing to an end its policy of being tight-lipped on its investigations. The proposals, which were partially outlined in chancellor Alistair Darling’s white paper on financial regulation would see companies forced to publish their own complaints [...]
Women’s earning power decimated by having kids July 9, 2009 HAVING children has a devastating impact on women’s earning power, a new report has revealed. The report, compiled by women’s rights campaign group the Fawcett Society and entitled “Not Having It All”, said that childless women working full time earned on average 9 per cent less than men, but that the gender pay gap rose [...]
Cameron’s head of communications to face Commons probe over phone-taps July 9, 2009 CONSERVATIVE party director of communications Andy Coulson is likely to face a grilling by the Commons culture committee, as it investigates alleged phone-bugging by The News of The World (NoW) during the time that he was the newspaper’s editor. The investigation follows allegations made by the Guardian newspaper that Rupert Murdochs’ tabloid title paid up [...]
Boris Johnson warns EC on new hedge fund rules July 9, 2009 BORIS Johnson accused the European Commission (EC) of trying to “strangle” the City with its draft directive on regulation of hedge funds. The London mayor said the EC’s proposals threatened to drive alternative investment managers out of the City, where 80 per cent of Europe’s $300bn (£184bn) in hedge fund assets are managed. Private equity [...]