‘Disastrous’: Average five-year fixed mortgage rate surges to six per cent October 5, 2026 The average five-year fixed mortgage rate has broken the six per cent mark for the first time in three years after a fresh raft of lenders hiked prices. The typical five-year agreement has hit six per cent, according to Moneyfacts, while the average two-year is a whisker behind at 5.98 per cent. It is the [...]
Raising bank taxes will reduce jobs, former Chancellor Hunt warns Healey October 5, 2026 Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has issued John Healey a major warning over any increase to the level of taxes paid by UK banks ahead of the forthcoming Budget. The top Tory MP, who has sat on the back benches since Labour came to power in 2024, said Healey must ignore the “siren voices” calling for [...]
‘Last days of the honeymoon’: Anxious bosses prepare charm offensive at Labour conference September 25, 2026 Ahead of the Labour Party Conference on Sunday, and one month away from the Budget, businesses are feeling nervous, write Mauricio Alencar and Felix Armstrong Stepping onto an early-morning Avanti West Coast train from London Euston is now a familiar feeling for the Prime Minister. Andy Burnham is set to make the journey more regularly [...]
Natwest makes first VC fund bet in push to back British tech September 23, 2026 Natwest has made its first direct investment into an independently managed venture capital fund, joining a push by some of Britain’s biggest financial institutions to funnel more domestic money into UK tech companies. The banking giant is investing across top venture capital firm Phoenix Court’s Localglobe, Latitude and Solar funds, which back companies from their [...]
Aldermore’s sale interest shows banks are over motor finance September 17, 2026 Lloyds, Nationwide and Investec are all tipped to be circling Aldemore as its South African over prepares a sale. Samuel Norman takes a look at the runners and riders and what it could do for the market. Has the banking industry finally moved on from motor finance? The number of suiters circling Aldermore suggest as [...]
Natwest chair: Boost investment in UK or risk ‘inter-generational crisis’ September 17, 2026 The chair of Natwest has warned the UK is in a “moment of national crisis” that can only be fixed by firing up investment in the country’s flagging economy. Rick Haythornthwaite, the City grandee who has also chaired the boards of Mastercard and Ocado, told City AM that years of political instability and poor decision-making [...]
Top UK banks to raise £50m to build payments network September 15, 2026 Britain’s biggest banks are set to kick off a fundraising campaign that will pave the way for a domestic payments alternative to Mastercard and Visa. The UK Payments Delivery Company (PDC) is launching an equity capital raise as part of a new model from the Bank of England, aligning with the Treasury’s National Payments Vision, [...]
Value of UK deals rockets as buyers pounce on FTSE 100 firms September 9, 2026 The value of UK merger and acquisitions more than doubled in the first half of 2026 as foreign buyers capitalised on sluggish valuations to pick off some of Britain’s most valuable companies. Takeovers worth some £124bn were struck in the first six months of the year, up 107 per cent year-on-year from £60bn in the [...]
Banks ombudsman on the hook for millions in legal fees to Barclays and Santander September 7, 2026 The UK’s banks ombudsman could be forced to pay millions to a group of the UK’s top lenders after the High Court quashed four decisions the body made earlier this year on overdrafts and credit cards. The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has been put on the hook for what could top £2m in legal fees after the court [...]
Lloyds and Natwest flaunt social credentials as fears grow of Burnham tax grab August 26, 2026 Lloyds and Natwest are flaunting their community credentials and pledging a raft of new social investment initiatives as fears grow that Prime Minister Andy Burnham will launch a punishing tax raid on the sector with the government’s first Budget. The two lenders are among a group of top UK banks looking to prove they can [...]