Emergency rate productivity hit was worth it to save 1.5m jobs, says Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane Slashing interest rates in the aftermath of the financial crisis has saved 1.5m jobs, the Bank of England's chief economist said today. Speaking at the London School of Economics, Andy Haldane noted, while the ultra low interest rate environment had hampered productivity, it was worth it to keep over a million people in work compared with a [...]
Sir Tim Barrow tells MPs Brexit negotiations will be unprecedented but everybody is prepared to get going March 20, 2017 The UK's ambassador to the EU told MPs today Brexit negotiations will be unprecedented, but he is confident everybody is prepared to stick to the two-year Article 50 timetable. Sir Tim Barrow also told the European Scrutiny Committee: The truth is, nobody has done this sort of negotiation before. A lot of the speculation [about how [...]
Banks don’t want a red tape Brexit bonfire, but lower taxes would sweeten the deal March 20, 2017 Banks are calling on the government to slash taxes for the sector to sweeten the deal for Brexit and ensure the country remains competitive. Research carried out for the British Bankers' Association (BBA), which was published in November, revealed banks' collective tax bill had shot up to £34.2bn for the year to March 2016, up 3.6 per cent compared [...]
Lloyds Banking Group hires Professor Russel Griggs to oversee its HBOS Reading scandal review March 20, 2017 Lloyds Banking Group has appointed Professor Russel Griggs to oversee the independent review into the HBOS Reading scandal. Two ex-HBOS bankers were among six people jailed back in February for their roles in a ruse to drive small businesses into the ground for personal gain, running up nearly £250m in losses for the bank which had to [...]
Deutsche Bank announces it has slashed bonus pool by 77 per cent after reporting losses of €1.4bn for 2016 March 20, 2017 Deutsche Bank announced this morning it has sliced 77 per cent from its bonus pool. The Frankfurt-headquartered bank released its annual report for 2016, which revealed the firm had cut its variable pay pot to €500m (£433.1m) for the year, down from €2.4bn. The bank, which had already announced it made a €1.4bn net loss for 2016, also [...]
Businesses risk being thrown into legal chaos post-Brexit if deal doesn’t ascertain how cross-border disputes will be settled, House of Lords warns March 20, 2017 Businesses risk legal headaches if the government does not consider how cross-border disputes will work post-Brexit, a report out today warns. The House of Lords EU Justice Sub-Committee research cautions disagreements which span more than one country are currently settled with judgments that are enforceable across the EU as a whole, but it is less clear what the [...]
Secure Trust Bank launches into UK mortgage market, focusing on those working in the gig economy March 20, 2017 Secure Trust Bank is today launching a UK mortgage offering focusing on those individuals who might struggle to bag a loan from a high street lender. The Solihull-headquartered challenger is honing in on the self-employed and the gig economy. Those people working in these fashions might struggle to prove their income to a bank and therefore [...]
Why a red tape bonfire won’t help fintech: The FCA’s Christopher Woolard talks to City A.M. about regulation testing March 20, 2017 Regulation arguably doesn’t have the best reputation in the cutting-edge tech sector. Critics slam red tape for stifling creativity, while the regulators themselves get stick for failing to keep pace with ever-changing markets. This contempt creates dilemmas in the field of fintech, an industry which melds the fast-paced world of technology with the highly-regulated field [...]
