The bonus is on you: Santander’s recent saga highlights the problems with deferred rewards February 4, 2019 Star investment banker Andrea Orcel was about to take the top job at Santander. And then he wasn’t. It turns out that the bank hadn’t quite realised how expensive Orcel would be, resulting in an unprecedented U-turn, as the board announced that Santander wouldn’t be hiring him after all. While Jose Antonio Alvarez will continue [...]
Over-50s insurer Saga set to meet profit expectations after sales cruise forward January 16, 2019 Saga, the insurer and package holiday provider for the over-50s, reported overall profitability is in line with expectations today despite a “challenging” market. Forward sales for cruises have been strong, the company reported, with its ship the Spirit of Discovery, which will set sail in June this year, reaching 69 per cent of the sales [...]
The FCA cannot afford to focus on Brexit alone October 25, 2018 It has been a mixed few months for the City's watchdog. On the one hand, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has delivered long-awaited reforms to the asset management industry, while its chief Andrew Bailey has made several strong interventions in the Brexit debate, such as pointing out the absurdity of EU negotiators attempting to rule [...]
Shadow of the Colossus review: An expert restoration of a breathtaking classic September 28, 2018 Shadow of the Colossus was a quiet epic, launched at a time when games were predominantly about things exploding loudly in your face. In this minimalist and melancholic saga, you ride your faithful horse across a vast wilderness to track down and slay 16 enormous stone giants. The world, desolate and littered with the [...]
Saga’s voyage of recovery interrupted by declining profits September 27, 2018 Retirement insurance and travel firm Saga this morning said it was making strong progress on its recovery despite reporting declining underlying before-tax profit. Underlying profit at the firm dropped 3.7 per cent to £106.8m – which was due to Saga investing heavily in its business and marketing, chief exec Lance Batchelor told City A.M. The firm's [...]
City Moves for 24 September 2018 – who’s switching jobs at RHI Magnesita, Saga and Wiggin? September 24, 2018 Today's City Moves covers industries, insurance and legal eagles. Take a look at these movers and shakers: RHI Magnesita RHI Magnesita has nominated Ian Botha, currently CFO of Anglo American Platinum, has been nominated, as new CFO and finance director for appointment in the 2019 annual meeting. Ian will join the company on 1 [...]
Over-50s holiday and insurance company Saga hires new finance boss from Zurich September 20, 2018 Saga has ended its six-month search for a chief financial officer with the hire of James Quin from Zurich. Quin, who will join on 1 January, will become Saga’s chief financial officer (CFO) and executive director. He joined Zurich in 2013 from PwC and prior to that was a managing director at Citi where he [...]
These are Britain’s best companies for customer service: First Direct, Amazon and John Lewis July 15, 2015 Anyone who detests being taken for granted by a company will be pleased to know there's a list of firms offering shoppers the best customer service experience. Online bank First Direct scored 87 for the overall level of customer satisfaction, helping it overtake better-known brands such as Amazon and John Lewis in a ranking compiled [...]
Saga share sale increased after demand grows May 12, 2015 Advidors were forced to increase the size of the Saga share sale to 122.5m yesterday evening after strong demand. The shares will be priced at 195p. Acromas had earlier announced that it intended to sell a minimum of 77m shares in specialist insurance group Saga, representing a seven per cent stake in the company. The [...]
Saga investors rewarded with 4.1p dividend as insurer posts 9.6pc jump in pre-tax profit April 30, 2015 Specialist insurer Saga posted a 9.6 per cent jump in pre-tax profit for the year ended 31 January 2015, up to £195.5m from £178.3m the year before. The company, which targets the over-50 market, failed to live up to expectations when it listed on the London Stock Exchange in May last year. It floated [...]