FTSE 100 close: Banks regain ground amid interest rate concerns as Vodafone slumps June 26, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 was dragged into the red today, driven by Britain’s largest banks struggling amid concerns about how much higher UK interest rates will go and Vodafone tumbling. The capital’s premier index fell 0.11 per cent to 7,453.59 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of [...]
Hunt and big banks vow to ease mortgage pain with repossessions grace period June 23, 2023 Mortgage holders will get a 12-month grace period before banks begin repossessions on their homes, Jeremy Hunt has announced, after a crunch meeting with lenders at No11. The Chancellor said ministers were “particularly worried” about people falling behind on payments or having to switch deals at the end of a fixed rate mortgage. He announced [...]
NatWest, Lloyds, HSBC, Barclays and Santander leaders meet Jeremy Hunt in ‘productive’ mortgage crisis talks June 23, 2023 Bank bosses held a “productive” meeting with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt as the rates increase worsens the mortgage crisis. Natwest chief executive Alison Rose, speaking to reporters as she left Downing Street, said lenders were “doing everything we can” and were “very keen” to help customers. Lloyds Banking Group boss Charlie Nunn described the meeting as [...]
Credit fears send bank shares lower after Bank of England lifts rates by 50bps June 22, 2023 Shares in the UK’s biggest banks today fell after the Bank of England raised interest rates by 50 basis points, heaping more pain onto borrowers. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee reverted to a larger rate hike after inflation remained stuck at 8.7 per cent last month. It was the 13th rate hike in a row [...]
UK banks to ramp up data sharing in dirty money crackdown June 22, 2023 British banks are gearing up to share more data with their peers on suspected serious economic crime as part of wider efforts to stem dirty money flows into the country from Russia and elsewhere, four sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. More than half a dozen banks are in advanced talks with British [...]
Sadiq Khan to address ‘cost of doing business’ crisis at summit with Uber and Natwest June 20, 2023 Sadiq Khan is set to address the “cost of doing business crisis” at a crunch summit with firms including Uber, Natwest and KPMG. The mayor of London will welcome more than 200 CEOs to his annual City Hall business reception at the Crystal in east London today. He is expected to tell firms the “cost-of-doing-business [...]
Natwest boss: We’re managing loan book ‘very very closely’ as rates spike June 15, 2023 Natwest boss Dame Alison Rose said the bank was seeing “no material signs of distress” in its loan book despite the impact of rising interest rates. Speaking at the Goldman Sachs financial conference, Rose said: “We have seen no increase in defaults or impairments and the same on the business side… What we’ve actually seen [...]
Natwest set to receive £47m after reducing stake in Irish bank Permanent TSB June 2, 2023 Natwest and the Irish finance ministry have sold nearly 55m shares in Permanent TSB, representing about 10 per cent of the Irish bank’s share capital. The sale reduces Natwest’s share holding from around 16.7 per cent to around 11.7 per cent. The Irish government will continue to hold 57.4 per cent of the bank. The [...]
FTSE 100 close: NatWest lifts after government stake sale as Burberry and JD Sports bump London index May 22, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 started what will be a quiet week in decent style today, driven higher by investors piling into Britain’s largest retailers. The capital’s premier index jumped 0.21 per cent to 7,773.49 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, edged lower to [...]
‘Milestone in returning NatWest to full private ownership’ as government sells £1.26bn worth of shares May 22, 2023 The government has sold £1.26bn worth of its shares in NatWest as it continues to sell-off its stake in the bank it bailed out after the 2008 financial crisis. The shares, sold at 268.4p each, represent 4.95 per cent of NatWest’s share capital and takes it stake below 40 per cent. The Economic Secretary to [...]