Paragon Bank: Stamp duty boost offsets motor finance provision June 4, 2025 Specialist lender Paragon Banking Group bolstered its profit in the first half of the financial year as increased lending managed to offshore a motor finance provision. The FTSE 250 bank’s pre-tax profit surged 26.7 per cent to £149.4m, up from £146.4 in the first half of 2024. This was driven by 4.9 per cent expansion [...]
Vanquis shares jump after recovery from complaints storm May 14, 2025 Shares in Vanquis Banking Group rose on Wednesday after the firm said it had swung back into profitability following a major blow from complaints in 2024. The London-listed bank’s stock was up nearly seven per cent as markets opened, trading above 75p. The Bradford-based lender recorded £2bn in net receivables, the total money expected to [...]
FTSE 100 banks Lloyds and Natwest set to profit despite lower interest rates May 13, 2025 Amidst a backdrop of waning interest rates, FTSE 100 banking giants such as Lloyds and Natwest look set to continue to profit, according to analysts. Lenders’ takings from net interest income (NII) remained steady in the first quarter, even after the Bank of England chopped interest rates four times to 4.5 per cent. Since then, [...]
TSB Bank’s profit rockets from stamp duty rush and cost-cutting May 8, 2025 TSB Bank’s cost-cutting plans and a rush to beat the stamp duty deadline imposed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves helped bolster profits in the first quarter. The Edinburgh-headquartered lender increased profit before tax to £101.3m for the first three months of 2025 – an 89 per cent jump from £53.4m in 2024. Operating expenses fell 4.7 [...]
Standard Chartered shares downgraded after tariff bruising May 7, 2025 Analysts at UBS slapped a downgraded price on Standard Chartered’s shares after a bruising period for the lender amid geopolitical tensions. The analysts reduced the target share price to 1,215p from 1,310p but maintained their ‘Buy’ rating. Shares were down 0.6 per cent on Wednesday at 1,049p. In the fallout of President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation [...]
Natwest to ‘outperform’ sector with bumper year, analysts predict May 6, 2025 RBC analysts slapped a “Sector Outperform” rating on Natwest after the lender beat expectations in its first-quarter report. The analysts upgraded full-year profit before tax estimates by three per cent to £7.1bn, compared to £6.2bn in 2024, and upped the stock’s target price to 475p from 465p. They said the upgrades were driven by net [...]
Santander UK’s provisions surge after branch closure backlash April 30, 2025 Santander UK was struck with a surge in provisions in its first-quarter report as backlash mounted to its branch closure operation. The Spanish-headquartered lender’s provisions for liabilities and charges rose 69 per cent to £140m. The firm said £42m of this was driven by “charges relating to changes to our branch network”. This comes as [...]
Vanquis shares plunge as complaints costs soar March 14, 2025 Specialist lender Vanquis Banking Group said its “turnaround” was “on track” in its annual results despite suffering a loss in 2024. The Bradford-based lender reported a £34.8m loss, a drastic drop from its pre-tax profit of £17.3m in 2023. The cost of dealing with complaints related to the company’s historic lending practices soared and took [...]
Skipton Building Society’s annual results boosted by first-time buyers February 26, 2025 Skipton Group, which includes the UK’s largest estate agency, Connells and Skipton Building Society, has announced a record return of value to its members after a bumper year at the group. The group’s pre-tax profit fell to £318.6m in 2024, down from £333.4m the year prior. The group cited downward pressure on net interest income [...]
Nationwide banks £2.3bn gain from Virgin Money takeover as profit tumbles November 27, 2024 Nationwide has bagged a £2.3bn gain from its acquisition of Virgin Money, setting up a windfall for members of Britain’s biggest building society.