Financial investment fraud cases jumped 74 per cent in 2018 April 29, 2019 Reported fraud cases related to financial investments rose 74 per cent to 6,890 last year, up from 3,950 in 2017. The most commonly reported cases were related to share and bond sales which saw an increase to 860 last year, up from 200 in 2017, and pyramid or Ponzi schemes, which saw an increase to [...]
Half of motorists think charging loyal car insurance customers more should be illegal April 24, 2019 Fifty per cent of motorists think it should be illegal for insurers to charge existing customers more than new customers for the same cover, a new survey said today. The research by price comparison site Go Compare showed 61 per cent of participants felt insurers treat existing customers less favourably by charging those who renew [...]
London Capital & Finance investors rage against the FCA, EY and PwC in stormy meeting April 24, 2019 Angry bondholders of collapsed lender London Capital & Finance railed against the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and accountants PWC and EY today at a packed meeting in City Temple church. Furious investors raged against the FCA, blaming it for failing to intervene in the regulated firm sooner. “We’ve been sold down the river!” One investor [...]
Metro Bank CEO’s pay almost halved after waiving bonus in aftermath of loans blunder April 24, 2019 Metro Bank boss Craig Donaldson saw his pay almost halved last year after waiving his bonus in the wake of a major loans blunder. Read more: Public sentiment towards Metro Bank plunges after accounting error Donaldson was paid £800,000 last year, down from £1.5m in 2017 following the loans error, which is being investigated by [...]
Runners and riders: Meet the candidates who could replace Mark Carney as the Bank of England governor April 24, 2019 Speculation has begun over the next governor of the Bank of England after the Chancellor Philip Hammond launched the hunt for Mark Carney’s successor this morning. Carney’s tenure began amid post-crisis reform of financial system regulation but his latter years have been characterised by Brexit, which his successor will also have to navigate through. Read [...]
Tory MP Johnny Mercer dismisses alleged ties to London Capital & Finance as ‘smear’ by rivals April 24, 2019 Tory MP Johnny Mercer has hit back at allegations he was involved in collapsed firm London Capital and Finance (LCF), claiming they are part of a "co-ordinated attempt" to go after him. Mercer, who is thought to want to run for Tory leader, has been under scrutiny for his non-executive director role at the Crucial Academy, for [...]
Andrew Bailey is right to think about the City’s future April 23, 2019 Throughout the interminable Brexit debate, sensible voices have been hard to come by – but Andrew Bailey provides one. The head of the Financial Conduct Authority was ahead of the curve in pushing for EU counterparts to match the UK's planning to ensure financial stability in the event of a no-deal Brexit and, now that [...]
Former UBS officer had ‘no motive and no money’ in alleged insider trading deals, court hears April 23, 2019 A former UBS compliance officer accused of insider trading had “no motive and no money” pegged to the alleged crime, a court has heard. Fabiana Abdel-Malek has been accused of disclosing price-sensitive information regarding five company takeovers to her family friend and trader, Walid Choucair, between June 2013 and June 2014, allowing him to make [...]
FCA: UK could embrace ‘lower burden’ financial rules post-Brexit April 23, 2019 The City could benefit from a “lower burden” regulatory regime when the UK exits the European Union, the top financial regulator said today. Setting out his vision for the future of UK financial regulation, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) head Andrew Bailey said he thought the UK and EU would take contrasting approaches to regulation post-Brexit, [...]
Brexit to place ‘considerable demands’ on City watchdog the FCA April 17, 2019 Brexit will continue to place “considerable demands” on the City watchdog, it said today as the regulator unveiled its plan for the coming year. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) unveiled its business plan for 2019-20 and said Britain’s departure from the EU would continue to dominate its attention. Read more: Government provides £200m for small [...]