SME mis-selling probe spreads to more banks July 23, 2012 SEVEN more banks will review their sales of hedging products to small companies, the Financial Services Authority announced yesterday, joining the four major institutions which have already pledged to compensate customers for any mis-selling. Around 28,000 interest rate hedging products were sold from 2001 to date, with the latest seven banks representing around 10 per [...]
Lord Green lambasted for his no-show during HSBC debate July 23, 2012 TRADE minister Lord Green yesterday failed to appear in the House of Lords to defend himself, despite Labour successfully tabling an urgent question about his knowledge of money laundering controls during his time at the head of HSBC. Lord Strathclyde, leader of the House, told peers that there was “no evidence” that Green was in [...]
Asset increase at Julius Baer July 23, 2012 JULIUS Baer, the Swiss private bank, yesterday revealed a five per cent upswing in assets under management – taking its assets to a record high of SFr179bn (£116.5bn). The firm said the SFr8.5bn increase in assets since December 2011 was driven by SFr5.5bn of net new money, mainly from growth markets and its local private [...]
Six guilty in trading probe July 23, 2012 SIX people were yesterday found guilty of running an insider dealing ring that netted over £700,000, after the longest and most complex prosecution brought by the FSA. The six used confidential and price-sensitive information from the London printers of Swiss bank UBS and UK brokerage JP Morgan Cazenove to place spread bets on proposed or [...]
Aberdeen rides out the choppy markets July 23, 2012 ABERDEEN Asset Management beat expectations yesterday to record a £2.5bn increase in equity fund inflows during its latest quarter, despite a slowdown in overall new business. The FTSE 100-listed company posted a one per cent fall in assets under management, down to £182.7bn. But the drop off was eased by £2.5bn of new cash ploughed [...]
Domino’s banks on Olympic boost July 23, 2012 DOMINO’S PIZZA’S chief executive said yesterday he expected the Olympics to provide a welcome boost in sales based on its experience of previous Games, as more people stay at home and order in. “Domino’s had a real uplift during the Sydney Olympics, especially during the opening and closing ceremony when lots of people are at [...]
CITY VIEWS | ARE YOU GOING TO ANY OF THE OLYMPIC EVENTS? July 23, 2012 AMIT RAWTANI TURKIYE ISBANK No. I did not apply for tickets but having witnessed the weather in recent days, I’m slightly jealous of my colleagues who are going! It would be good to mingle with foreign visitors to our great city. TONY HANN BLACKFRIARS ASSET MANAGEMENT Yes. I’m seeing the hockey, but the kids are [...]
Hammerson keeps focus on retail ambition July 23, 2012 ANGLO-FRENCH property developer Hammerson said yesterday it is eyeing opportunities to invest in Europe’s depressed property market after recently selling the bulk of its London office portfolio for £518m. The FTSE 100 company, whose portfolio is now 97 per cent retail following the deal with US group Brookfield Office Properties in June, said it had [...]
Great Portland buys Piccadilly site from Capco joint venture July 23, 2012 GREAT PORTLAND ESTATES yesterday announced it has bought out Capital and Counties’ half share in the Jermyn Street estate in Piccadilly for £60m, giving it control of nearly 200,000 square feet of property in the area. The £120m estate, held by the two developers’ joint venture Great Capital Partnership, is made up of five properties, [...]
Jimmy Choo hires new CEO July 23, 2012 LUXURY shoe brand Jimmy Choo has appointed Pierre Denis as chief executive, replacing Joshua Schulman, who left the business at the beginning of the year. Shulman’s departure followed swiftly after that of Jimmy Choo’s joint founder and former chief creative officer Tamara Mellon, who quit when the brand was bought by Swiss company Labelux for [...]