Challenger banks hunt for acquisitions as rising interest rates reveal opportunities June 7, 2023 Challenger banks are increasingly on the lookout for acquisition opportunities as rising interest rates reveal takeover opportunities in the sector. Nigel Terrington, chief executive of Paragon Bank, told City A.M. that they “continue to look for opportunities” having made four acquisitions in seven years. Terrington noted that “in environments like this, some lenders are not [...]
Paragon Bank’s share price surges after record profits and deposit inflows June 6, 2023 Shares in Paragon Bank surged nearly eight per cent this morning after the FTSE 250 lender reported record interim profits and significant deposit inflows. In the first half of the year, Paragon’s underlying profit jumped 22 per cent to £128.9m as the bank benefitted from rising interest rates. The bank’s net interest margin (NIM), the [...]
Watchdogs in focus as proposed shakeup of financial regulation returns to parliament June 5, 2023 The UK’s financial regulators will be in focus as lawmakers consider a range of proposals to boost the accountability of watchdogs. A range of amendments to the Financial Services and Markets Bill have been put forward, focusing on the scrutiny of regulators as the Bill returns to parliament this week. Regulatory scrutiny has been a [...]
UBS expects to complete Credit Suisse deal within a week June 5, 2023 UBS expects to complete the acquisition of Credit Suisse as early as 12 June but reports suggest its next earnings statement will be delayed until the end of August. In a regulatory filing today, UBS confirmed Credit Suisse will be delisted from the Swiss stock exchange when the deal is complete. It said Credit Suisse [...]
Paragon Bank set to deliver strong results as interest rates rise June 4, 2023 Paragon Bank is set to post another strong set of results this week as analysts expect the FTSE 250 lender to benefit from rising interest rates.
HSBC leads banks’ plans to hike savings rates – and analysts say they could go up even further June 2, 2023 HSBC UK is boosting the interest rates on some savings accounts with increases of up to 0.75 percentage points, the bank has announced. The increases will come into effect next week, on Thursday June 8. They include a 0.75 percentage point increase on the bank’s mysavings and premier savings youth accounts, taking rates to 5.00 [...]
Consumer Duty: High street banks prepare for major regulatory shakeup as clock ticks down May 31, 2023 Banks in the UK have just two months to prepare for the incoming Consumer Duty, with some prominent bankers suggesting the new regulatory standards will prompt widespread changes in the industry. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) flagship Consumer Duty, which will come into effect on 31 July, requires firms to deliver good outcomes for retail [...]
Goldman Sachs to make another round of job cuts as dealmaking slump continues – reports May 31, 2023 Goldman Sachs is considering another round of job cuts over the next few weeks as the drought in dealmaking continues to weigh on performance. According to Reuters, the layoffs – which would total not more than 250 – could include senior figures like partners and managing directors. The news was first reported by the Wall [...]
Plans to boost scrutiny of regulators don’t go far enough, experts argue May 24, 2023 New plans to boost oversight of financial regulators have been criticised by experts, as the government responds to concerns that watchdogs face too little scrutiny. Earlier this week, the it was reported that the Treasury is planning to beef up the Financial Regulators Complaints Commissioner (FRCC) in order to more robustly hold regulators to account. [...]
EU remains firm on post-Brexit clearing plans despite pressure on both sides of the Channel May 24, 2023 The EU is set to reject calls to rethink its approach to the clearing business despite mounting pressure on both sides of the Channel. The EU’s financial services commissioner Mairead McGuinness said the plans were vital to the EU’s “financial resilience”. “I want to underline that this matter is actually not so much about Brexit. [...]