Direct Line bosses out ahead of £3.7bn Aviva deal after bumper bonus revolt June 23, 2025 The chief executive and chief financial officer of Direct Line are to step down when its £3.7bn sale to Aviva is complete, it has been announced. CEO Adam Winslow and CFO Jane Poole will leave their roles when the deal is finalised next month. In a statement, the company said a leadership team for Direct [...]
Spectris agrees to £3.8bn takeover but KKR threatens bidding war June 23, 2025 Industrial group Spectris has agreed to a £3.8bn takeover by US private equity Advent but a bidding war could be brewing as KKR mulls a rival offer. The FTSE 250 firm has been valued at £37.73 per share in the deal. Shares jumped 13.5 per cent as markets opened on Monday to around 3,726. Private [...]
Exclusive: Tandem to name ex-Vanquis chief as new boss June 23, 2025 Digital lender Tandem will this week name the former boss of specialist lender Vanquis and Sainsbury’s retail banking arm as its new chief executive, City AM can reveal. The fintech challenger is set to appoint Neil Chandler, who will replace outgoing chief Alex Mollart. Chandler has most recently served at the helm of digital Banking-as-a-Service [...]
KKR offer commended by Assura June 19, 2025 The heated battle for Assura’s takeover has finally reached a conclusion, with KKR’s bid to take over the healthcare property giant, securing EU approval for the bid if it goes ahead. Assura accepted private equity giant KKR’s £1.7bn bid, which was made via acquisition vehicle Sana Bidco, last week. The merger has now received clearance [...]
Challenger banks scout exit routes as giants circle Metro and TSB June 19, 2025 Analysts are pencilling in a fresh wave of banking deals with challenger banks set for a market departure. Moody’s analysts have said challenger banks will “seek exit after weak performance” as industry juggernauts set their sights on ramping up their market share. Takeover talk has gripped the City after reports Shawbrook’s private equity owners were [...]
Motor finance woes could make Close Brothers the next takeover target June 19, 2025 Close Brothers has fought tooth and nail in the motor finance battle but analysts have warned regulatory pressures may make the lender vulnerable to a takeover as banking juggernauts look to snap up the competition. The bank has had a bruising 12 months with its stock sinking to lows of 185p in November. Shares have [...]
Natwest rules out TSB takeover June 19, 2025 Natwest has ruled out a takeover of UK high street bank TSB. The FTSE 100 juggernaut was viewed as the “most likely acquirer” by analysts, with the firm hotly anticipated to begin a deal spree after it re-entered private ownership last month. TSB’s Spanish owners, Banco Sabadell, confirmed earlier this week that it had received [...]
Santander interested in TSB takeover June 18, 2025 Santander has approached its Spanish banking peer, Banco Sabadell, regarding a takeover of its UK high street bank, TSB. Britain’s fifth-largest lender is reported to have expressed interest in a deal for TSB, which follows owners Sabadell confirming earlier this week it had been approached regarding acquisitions. A formal offer is yet to be tabled, Sky News [...]
Deal fever: Banking giants plot takeovers to ramp up market share June 18, 2025 British banking is poised for a major shake-up as top names go on the hunt for fresh acquisitions. Lenders have been scouting new deals that would send shockwaves across the industry. Much of the prospective dealmaking involves London lender Shawbrook, whose private equity owners have been circling high street bank Metro. Ahead of this, Shawbrook [...]
Sale Sharks tycoon Simon Orange buys steel giant June 17, 2025 The co-owner of rugby union side Sale Sharks, Simon Orange, has bought the UK’s second-largest steel contractor just a few months after selling his investment business in a deal worth more than £1bn. Self-made millionaire Orange, whose brother Jason was an original member of Take That, has snapped up a majority stake in Greater Manchester-based [...]