Santander takes jab at City watchdog as motor finance bill balloons February 4, 2026 Santander has took another major swipe at the City watchdog after the banking giant hiked its provisions for the motor finance scandal. As it reported full-year results, the bank said its bill for the car mis-selling saga had reached £461m, building on a previous £295m provision. It follows the bank’s UK arm missing its third-quarter [...]
Full map of closures: Santander axes another 44 branches putting 291 jobs at risk January 29, 2026 Santander has made another cull to its branch network as the Spanish banking giant ploughs ahead with its digital transformation. The lender said it would close another 44 branches, which will put 291 jobs at risk of redundancy, as the bank turns its focus to its digital offer to keep at pace with its fintech [...]
Nationwide reigns supreme in bank switch war as Santander falters January 29, 2026 Nationwide maintained its top spot in the tussle for current account switchers in the third quarter of 2025 as the mutual sweetened its offer for new joiners. The building society – which was slapped with a £44m fine in December for failing to flag Covid fraud – secured a net gain of 41,450 switchers after [...]
Banking and insurance to drive financial M&As after 2025 frenzy January 7, 2026 Deals in the financial services sector are expected to be “robust” in the year to come, following a burst of activity from the banking and insurance sector in 2025. UK banks, insurers and asset managers publicly disclosed 337 deals last year. Whilst this dipped down from the record high of 378 in 2024, the value [...]
FCA: Motor finance lenders ‘very focused’ on negatives of redress December 16, 2025 The boss of the UK’s financial watchdog has taken a swipe at motor finance lenders that are begrudged with the regulator’s redress scheme, stating they are “very focused” on the negatives. In a session with the Treasury Select Committee, Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) opened the door to changing the [...]
Santander: UK businesses shift away from China as tensions flare November 18, 2025 UK businesses are moving away from China as risks mount amid flaring geopolitical tensions. Over half of firms are taking steps to bring their supply chains closer to home, with one in five having already relocated their network closer to the UK. The moves come amid questions over China’s dominance in the supply chain, with [...]
TSB’s profit soars ahead of Santander takeover November 13, 2025 Profit at high street unit TSB Bank soared in the third quarter as the lender readied the ground for its blockbuster takeover by Santander. The bank’s pre-tax profit hit £271m for the first nine months of the year – a 38.2 per cent jump from the same period in 2024. It came as the bank [...]
City watchdog extends motor finance consultation after backlash November 5, 2025 The City watchdog has extended its consultation for its motor finance redress scheme following mounting backlash from lenders and consumers. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced that it would push back the deadline – initially scheduled for 18 November – to 12 December at 5:00pm. The final criteria of the scheme is expected to be [...]
Vanquis warns of £7m motor finance hit if FCA does not change course November 5, 2025 Vanquis Banking Group has warned it may be forced to hike provisions for the motor finance scandal to £7m if the financial watchdog does not switch lanes on its redress scheme. The specialist lender said it recognised a £3m provision in its third-quarter results, which follows the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) pledging an industry-wide redress [...]
Motor finance backlash mounts with calls to pull £4bn from lenders November 3, 2025 The financial watchdog is back in the hot seat as criticism of its controversial motor finance redress scheme continues to mount. A fresh report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Fair Banking has blasted the City watchdog for a “£4.4bn billion gap” in the proposed scheme. The group accused the regulator of being “influenced [...]