OFT levies 39.3m fine on recruiters September 30, 2009 SIX recruitment agencies have been fined for price fixing and forming a cartel, with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) slapping a penalty on market leader Hays equal to half its estimated 2009-10 net profit. The OFT imposed fines totalling £39.3m yesterday for breaching competition law. A week ago, the OFT handed out fines totalling [...]
Brokers back in High Court November 4, 2009 INTER-dealer broker BGC Partners yesterday said rival Tullett Prebon’s ploy to obtain a lengthy injunction against the recruitment of its staff was an unprecedented attempt to block competition in the industry, as the two resumed their bitter battle in the High Court. Tullett is seeking an injunction to prevent BGC from negotiating any forward contracts [...]
The FSA’s enforcement Queen says she will not stop fighting big cases July 21, 2009 IT is never easy to focus on the task at hand when the future of your organisation is in doubt – so even the Financial Services Authority’s (FSA) sternest critics should spare a thought for the beleaguered watchdog’s staff, who are all wondering what will happen to them over the next 12 months. But many [...]
The FSA’s enforcement Queen says she will not stop fighting big cases July 21, 2009 IT is never easy to focus on the task at hand when the future of your organisation is in doubt – so even the Financial Services Authority’s (FSA) sternest critics should spare a thought for the beleaguered watchdog’s staff, who are all wondering what will happen to them over the next 12 months. But many [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS June 1, 2009 HermesThe fund manager has appointed Saker Nusseibeh as head of investments. Nusseibeh, who will also join the Hermes main board, joins from Fortis Investments, where he was global head of equities and chief information officer for global equities. He was previously managing director of international equities and chief information officer for global equities at TCW/ [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS June 1, 2009 HermesThe fund manager has appointed Saker Nusseibeh as head of investments. Nusseibeh, who will also join the Hermes main board, joins from Fortis Investments, where he was global head of equities and chief information officer for global equities. He was previously managing director of international equities and chief information officer for global equities at TCW/ [...]
OFT SENDING OUT MESSAGE TO BUSINESS September 22, 2009 MICHAEL GRENFELLCOMPETITION LAW PARTNER AT NORTON ROSE LLP THE huge fines imposed yesterday by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) on UK construction companies for cartel activity send a strong signal to British business generally: the authorities will penalise anti-competitive behaviour, even in a recession. The fines totalling £129.5m on 103 construction firms for bid [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS May 28, 2009 DeloitteThe business advisory firm has appointed Annette Olesen as an insurance partner. Olesen has previously led key aspects of the Solvency II debate throughout Europe in her role as chair of the actuarial profession’s Pillar 1 Solvency II working group, and has provided input directly to the European Union’s Committee of European Insurance and Occupational [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 18, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES LLOYDS OFFLOADS MALL FOR £300MHammerson, the UK real estate investment trust, has emerged as the preferred buyer of a £300m shopping mall near Glasgow being sold by Lloyds Banking Group after the original owner defaulted on the loan. The UK commercial property market has seen few sales by the larger lending banks, in [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 1, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES HIT HAMSTER RANGE LIFTS CHARACTER GROUPToymaker and distributor The Character Group has predicted Christmas shortages of its most popular lines of children’s gifts, including Go Go Pets, based on a range of battery-powered interactive hamsters. John Lewis, the department store chain, has already imposed a limit of one order per customer for the [...]