More first time buyer mortgages February 12, 2012 The number of mortgages offering 95 per cent loan-to-value (LTV) deals to first time buyers has hit its highest level since before the financial crisis, the Mortgage Advice Bureau claims this morning. The broker says there are currently 59 such deals open to people looking to make their first step onto the property ladder, offered [...]
Russians grab investment visas February 12, 2012 Wealthy Russians are increasingly moving to the UK through the use of “investment visas”, commercial law firm McGrigors has said today. The number of investment visas issued has surged from 43 in 2008 to 320 in 2011, with over a fifth granted to Russians. Introduced in 2008, the visas give a three-year right to stay [...]
Step-parents fail to update wills February 12, 2012 Parents with step children or adopted children are around twice as likely to put off the drawing up of a will, according to figures from Investec’s wealth and investment arm. The group says that 35 per cent of parents with step children have “avoided creating or amending a will because they are unable to decide [...]
Small companies borrowing less February 12, 2012 The number of small firms using bank overdrafts or loans has dropped in the last two years, according to a poll by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The group will argue today that banks are not lending enough to small firms.
Londoners save more while business activity expands February 12, 2012 LONDONERS are saving more cash than people in any other part of the UK, a survey reveals this morning, while a separate study shows faster private sector growth in the capital than in most other regions. Business activity in London jumped to a six-month high at the start of the year, recording 57.5 in Lloyds’ [...]
Olympic Media Buzz LONDON 2012 PARTNERS February 12, 2012 IN ASSOCIATION with Repskan.com, the media monitoring and analytics platform, City A.M. is measuring the relative Olympic media buzz around the partners for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, week by week. The leaderboard, right, reflects their ranking over the past week, in this case from Wednesday 1 February to Wednesday 8 February. This [...]
Bankers held in tax probe into film cash February 12, 2012 A SERIES of City bankers have been arrested in a probe into tax evasion related to film financing. Four current and one former member of staff at the investment banking arm of Royal Bank of Scotland, as well as three London workers from US bank Jefferies and one from commodities broker Marex Spectron are believed [...]
Peacocks braced for job cuts February 12, 2012 PEACOCKS administrator KPMG was locked in rescue talks with the remaining bidders this weekend to decide the fate of the collapsed discount fashion retailer. The firm is expected to make a final decision on the sale of the 600-store chain as early as this Wednesday. But even if a sale is agreed, hundreds of underperforming [...]
TUI moving closer to sale of stake in Hapag-Lloyd February 12, 2012 GERMAN travel group TUI looks set to agree the sale of its stake in container shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd to majority shareholder the Albert Ballin consortium this week. A spokesman for the finance authority for the city state of Hamburg, part of the Albert Ballin consortium, said it was quite possible that a deal would be [...]
Pub and restaurant visits increase but Britons continue to rein in spending February 12, 2012 BRITONS are starting to make more frequent trips to bars, restaurants and clubs after two years of belt-tightening, in a sign that the leisure sector may be able to capitalise on “austerity fatigue”. Pub and bar visits have increased by 2.2 per cent compared to last year, with the average UK consumer going to the [...]
