Exclusive: City giants tighten trans policies Business City firms are being forced to tighten up inclusion policies and prevent transgender staff from using single-sex bathrooms, after the equalities watchdog published fresh directions on enforcing the seismic Supreme Court ruling on gender last year. Square Mile giants including Admiral, Coventry Building Society and Santander have all updated their HR procedures to bar trans [...]
Industry hits out at rumours as No 10 denies plan to abolish stamp duty and council tax Politics Andy Burnham is “not considering” scrapping stamp duty and council tax, Downing Street has said, as the government moves to pour cold water on rumours of major tax changes that had spooked property sector leaders. Business chiefs condemned the government over the danger of property tax speculation after reports over the weekend suggested that Burnham [...]
Watchdogs rip up rulebook for building societies in growth boost Banking British building societies are in line for a deregulation boost after UK watchdogs announced a joint raft of initiatives aiming to power up the sector. Mutuals – which, contrary to banks, are owned by their members – are set to land a significant growth tailwind following a fresh report from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) [...]
Co-op Bank mortgage applications soar following takeover March 7, 2025 Mortgage applications boomed at Coventry Building Society’s new subsidiary, The Co-op Bank, in its first batch of financial results since the acquisition. The bank recorded £116.2m in pre-tax profit for 2024, down from the £120.9m booked in 2023 but in line with company expectations. It said lower mortgage margins and increased savings rates weighed on net interest income, dampening [...]
Mark Kleinman: Ratcliffe’s cost-cutting results in Manchester Disunited January 9, 2025 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and is the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. This week, he tackles Ratcliffe’s own goal, Shawbrook setting the tone and a FTSE 100 Doomsday clash over pay Ratcliffe’s cost-cutting results in Manchester Disunited Sir Jim Ratcliffe might not like to admit it, but 2024 [...]
Coventry Building Society to take over Co-op Bank in January November 28, 2024 Regulators have given the green light for Coventry Building Society to acquire The Co-operative Bank in January as consolidation sweeps through Britain’s mid-sized banking sector. The two lenders said on Thursday that the Financial Conduct Authority and Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority had approved the £780m deal, which was agreed in May. The takeover [...]
Co-op Bank unveils £90m dividend ahead of Coventry sale November 26, 2024 The Co-operative Bank is to pay out £90m to investors after reporting lending growth in the third quarter, ahead of a £780m tie-up with Coventry Building Society.
Coventry Building Society and Co-op Bank £780m tie-up confirmed May 24, 2024 The combined group will be led by David Thorburn as Chairman and Steve Hughes as Chief Executive Officer.
Takeover bids, millionaire CEOs and angry members: Building societies are looking a lot like the big banks May 1, 2024 Runaway profits, big-ticket acquisitions and bumper executive pay rises, Britain's building societies are starting to look a lot like banks.
Coventry Building Society agrees terms to buy Co-op Bank for £780m April 18, 2024 Coventry Building Society has agreed terms to buy The Co-operative Bank for £780m as a wave of consolidation sweeps through the mid-sized banking sector.