Natwest profits soar but customers withdraw £1bn as cost of living and tax bills bite April 28, 2023 Natwest has beaten profit expectations during the first three months of this year. Natwest Group, which includes Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank, recorded a pretax profit of £1.8bn in the three months ending 31 March. The total comes in ahead of analysts’ expectations of £1.6bn for the quarter and ahead of the £1.2bn during [...]
Hunt for next Natwest chair begins as Howard Davies says he will step down by July 2024 April 25, 2023 The hunt for Natwest’s next chair is underway after Howard Davies told shareholders today he will be stepping down. Speaking at the bank’s AGM in Edinburgh, Davies said he expects a replacement to be found and handover completed by July next year. Noting that nine years was the maximum recommended tenure under the UK corporate [...]
Standard Chartered, Barclays, Natwest kick off UK bank earnings this week with interest income back in focus April 24, 2023 Profit looks set to increase at the UK’s largest lenders as they line up to report first quarter earnings over the coming two weeks. The FTSE banking giants have seen relative stability over the last few weeks following the extreme volatility in March, but this stability means investors will refocus their attention on other major [...]
CBI exodus: Which firms have quit or suspended their relationship with the lobby group? April 21, 2023 A slew of top firms have quit or suspended engagement with the CBI today after the lobby group was rocked by new allegations of sexual abuse.
FCA will ‘keep its eyes’ on banks’ Q1 results for evidence of savings rate profiteering April 20, 2023 Savers are facing a rising “loyalty penalty” from high street banks, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned. Customers banking with the UK’s big name lenders are likely to earn less competitive interest rates on their savings over time, while new savers are given more attractive offers, the City watchdog told MPs today. “Harm” from [...]
FTSE 100 close: Inflation shock drags London index lower as real estate firms lead losses April 19, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 slipped today as investors took fright at UK inflation topping forecasts to stay in the double digits last month. The capital’s premier index shed 0.13 per cent to drop to 7,898.78 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, fell 0.49 [...]
FTSE 100 close: China economy growth spurt jolts London miners higher April 18, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 bumped upwards again today, boosted by stronger than expected Chinese economic growth boosting sentiment toward the capital’s biggest listed industrial giants. The capital’s premier index climbed 0.38 per cent to 7,909.43 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, was broadly [...]
UK pushes back Natwest share sale plan after banking volatility April 3, 2023 The Treasury has pushed back its deadline to sell a chunk of its remaining shares in Natwest by another two years after the lender’s share price slumped last month amid the recent turmoil in the banking sector. The government will now have until 11 August 2025 to gradually sell up to 15 per cent of [...]
Mass bank branch closures making life for retired Brits ‘really difficult’ as Age UK calls for regulation and law changes March 31, 2023 A leading charity for older people has criticised the latest tranche of bank branch closures, saying it is making banking “really difficult.” The head of Age UK responded to news today that Lloyds and NatWest groups would be shutting a further 81 branches this year. She urged the government to introduce regulation to compel banks [...]
Is the future of banking online only? NatWest and Lloyds to axe 81 branches, taking this year’s total to 213. Here’s a list of closures: March 31, 2023 Two of the UK’s biggest banking groups have announced plans to make big cuts to their branch networks this year, cutting more than 80 sites from around the country. Lloyds Group and NatWest Group have said that the sites in England, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man will close between July and November this [...]