By: Chris Dorrell

Chris at City AM from 2023-2025, first as banking reporter and then economics reporter. He continues to freelance and plays with his band Totally Amorphous

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Bank of England says UK’s big banks passed stress test and are ‘resilient’ to rising rates

July 12, 2023

The UK’s largest lenders passed the Bank of England’s stress tests with flying colours, even as concerns grow around the health of the mortgage market. In its latest stress test, the Bank of England concluded that banks were “resilient”, enabling them to withstand persistently higher inflation and a deep global recession. “The UK banking system [...]
Mortgage rates: Banks warn of more ‘financial difficulty’ – but arrears increase will be small

July 11, 2023

Leading bankers have said that an increasing number of customers will face financial difficulties as mortgage rates rise, but remained confident that both consumers and lenders could withstand the pressure. Bradley Fordham, mortgage director at Santander, said that with rates at six per cent, the average increase in monthly payments for customers coming off a [...]
Mortgage rates climb to 15-year high following surprisingly strong wage growth

July 11, 2023

The typical rate available on a two-year fixed mortgage has climbed to a 15-year high, surpassing the levels seen last Autumn in the wake of the disastrous mini-budget. According to Moneyfacts, the average two-year fixed residential mortgage rate hit 6.66 per cent, marginally higher than the 6.65 per cent seen last October. This was the [...]
Stumbling economy allows insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor to cash in after acquisition spree

July 11, 2023

Insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor upped its dividend after it saw its pretax profit increase by half in 2023. Pretax profit climbed to £6m from £4m the year before, ahead of market expectations, leading the firm to up its dividend by nine per cent on last year to 3.8p. On an adjusted basis, which excluded the [...]
BT boss Philip Jansen to step down within a year

July 10, 2023

BT confirmed today boss Philip Jansen will step down “at an appropriate moment” within the next year. In a statement this morning, the telecoms giant said its nominations committee has been conducting a formal succession process. Adam Crozier, chair of BT Group, said: “Philip has done an excellent job in his time at BT and [...]
Watchdog opens fewer cases than last year but still keeping close eye on wrongdoers

July 9, 2023

The number of enforcement cases opened by the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) dropped last year, but experts suggested the regulator was not resting on its laurels. According to a Freedom of Information request submitted by law firm Reed Smith, in the year to March, the number of cases opened against firms dropped 67 per cent [...]
OneSavings Bank shares plunge by nearly a quarter after £180m hit from ‘step change’ in customer behaviour

July 7, 2023

Shares in OneSavings Bank (OSB) plummeted this morning after the lender revealed it would take a hit of up to £180m from a “step change” in customer behaviour. In a statement released after market close last night, the FTSE 250-listed bank said customers in a certain part of the loan book were choosing to refinance [...]
FTSE 100 close: London’s premier index ends week lower after US jobs report

July 7, 2023

London’s FTSE 100 closed the week lower as global markets grew increasingly nervous about the extent of interest rate rises still to come. The FTSE 100 closed 0.37 per cent lower at 7,253.43 while the domestically focused FTSE 250 performed more strongly, rising 0.54 per cent to 18,012.46. Investors were digesting the latest jobs data [...]
Savings rates: Banks recognise they need ‘to do more’ after meeting with regulator

July 7, 2023

Bank bosses admitted to the regulator that they needed to “do more” to help customers access the best deals on savings products. In a statement after yesterday’s meeting, the regulator said “those in the room recognised that they needed to do more to help their consumers access the best rates.” Savings rates have lagged the [...]
London house prices fall at fastest rate since 2009 as rising rates dents demand

July 7, 2023

UK house prices fell for the third consecutive month with properties in London and the south east coming under the most pressure. According to the Halifax House Price Index, the average house price fell by 0.1 per cent from the month before, taking the average price to £285,932. This means that over the last year, [...]

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By: Chris Dorrell

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