UK mortgage approvals rose to more than two-year high before Budget November 29, 2024 UK lenders approved the most mortgages in more than two years last month as Britain’s housing market proved resilient ahead of the new government’s first Budget. Banks and building societies gave the green light to 68,300 loans for house purchase in October, according to data from the Bank of England. That figure is the highest [...]
TSB Bank names new boss as Robin Bulloch to retire November 29, 2024 TSB Bank has appointed Marc Armengol to be its new chief executive as current boss Robin Bulloch prepares to retire after a 45-year career in banking. The bank said on Friday that Armengol, director of operations and technology at Spanish parent company Banco de Sabadell, is expected to rejoin TSB in early 2025. He previously [...]
Louise Haigh quits as transport secretary after admitting to fraud conviction November 29, 2024 Louise Haigh has resigned as transport secretary after admitting pleading guilty to a criminal offence tied to her incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013. Downing Street said Swindon South MP Heidi Alexander had been appointed to replace her. Haigh said in a letter to prime minister Keir Starmer on [...]
Peel Hunt swings back to profit despite Budget hit to dealmaking November 29, 2024 City broking group Peel Hunt said it swung back into profit in the first six months of its financial year today despite the Budget weighing on dealmaking in the City. In its half year results, the London listed investment bank posted a pre-tax profit of £1.2m, a 250 per cent rise on the £800,000 loss [...]
Questions grow over triple-lock as number of people on state pension climbs by 220,000 November 29, 2024 According to data from DWP, 12.9m people were receiving the benefit in May 2024, a 1.7 per cent increase on the previous year.
City minister warned FCA ‘several times’ over name and shame plans November 29, 2024 The City minister said she warned the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) “several times” that its controversial ‘name and shame’ rules could harm companies before the regulator moved to water down the plans. Following intense criticism from firms and ministers, the regulator confirmed on Thursday that it would soften plans to publicly name companies facing investigation [...]
London Stock Exchange takeover bonanza tops £50bn November 29, 2024 This year's barrage of takeover bids for firms lsited on the London Stock Exchange has jumped to £52bn, igniting fears over the future of Britain's equity markets.
UK housing market returns to growth as north outpaces south November 29, 2024 Zoopla has predicted positive house price growth in all regions and counties of the UK in 2025, with the north expected to outpace the south. The real estate platform has forecast sales growth at five per cent and house price growth at 2.5 per cent across the UK, with the fastest price increases in Northern [...]
Retailers pin hopes on Black Friday and Christmas after footfall tumbles November 29, 2024 The holiday season could bring much more than some festive cheer this year.
New £1bn South Western Railway fleet to launch after just five years of delay November 28, 2024 The Arterio trains are five years behind schedule due to a protracted dispute with unions over its safety, and a number of seperate faults.