By: Samuel Norman

Senior City Reporter Samuel is a Senior City Reporter covering banking and fintech as well as stories on capital markets and economics. He also leads on City AM's morning liveblog from 7am everyday. He has previously written for the Daily Mail and The i Paper and worked for Sky News as an election stringer. He enjoys writing in-depth analysis of major blue-chip firms and start-ups and also industry trends. He can be contacted at samuel.norman@cityam.com and posts on LinkedIn and X at x.com/samnormanwrites.

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Peter Mandelson should return five-figure payoff after being sacked, says minister

February 8, 2026

A Cabinet minister and key ally of the Prime Minister has said Peter Mandelson should return the payoff he bagged after being sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told Sky News Mandelson should “give [the payoff] back or give it to a charity, perhaps one involving violence [...]
Starling founder Anne Boden cuts stake in £4bn fintech

February 6, 2026

The founder of UK fintech Starling has slashed her stake in the digital bank during a secondary share sale, City AM can reveal. Anne Boden, who launched Starling in 2014 after stints at Allied Irish Banks and Lloyds, cut her holdings in the digital bank to near 2.7 per cent from a previous 4.3 per [...]
Households to pay more for BBC TV licence, government confirms

February 6, 2026

Households across the country will see their bills rise after the Labour government increased the TV licence fee that funds the BBC. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport said on Friday that the annual levy will be increased to £180 from 1 April. This marks a £5.50 yearly increase. The move follows rules brought [...]
TSB’s profit soars ahead of Santander takeover

February 6, 2026

Profit at high street lender TSB soared in the latest financial year as the bank slashed costs ahead of its landmark takeover by Santander. TSB’s pre-tax profit hit £350.4m in 2025, a 20.7 per cent jump from the year prior. The growth was fuelled by rising income streams and falling costs, even as the bank [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Starmer unease rattles markets; Big tech sell-off

February 6, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Speculation over Keir Starmer’s future has unleashed a fresh round of market unease as investors dumped the pound, UK equities and long-dated government bonds amid rising political uncertainty. The gulf in price between the UK’s short- and long-term debt – known as the yield curve – reached [...]
Banks ombudsman complaints slump after Treasury overhaul

February 5, 2026

Complaints to the banks ombudsman fell to the lowest level in two years in the last quarter of 2025 as changes from regulators and Treasury ease the caseload. Between October and December the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) received 47,300 complaints – a major drop from the 68,400 lodged the year prior. It also maintains a [...]
UK construction ‘exits tailspin’ but job losses persist as housebuilding slumps

February 5, 2026

The UK’s struggling construction sector showed signs it was turning a corner at the beginning of the year even as job losses and shrinking order books persisted. The latest construction Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) from S&P Global – which serves as a headline index tracking industry activity – edged up to 46.4, up from 40.1 [...]
Secure Trust Bank sells motor finance arm after £21m hit

February 5, 2026

Specialist lender Secure Trust Bank has offloaded its motor finance arm, becoming the latest UK bank to retreat from the sector, which has been wrapped up in scandal. The bank sold its remaining vehicle finance loan book to European Alternative Investment Fund Manager LCM Partners in a move expected to increase the bank’s CET1 ratio – a [...]
Bank of England Live: Interest rates held in narrow 5-4 call

February 5, 2026

Good morning and welcome to the City AM liveblog. The Bank of England’s monetary committee has decided to hold rates in its first meet of the year. Markets – and City AM‘s own Shadow MPC – had placed their bets on a hold as the Bank continues its gradual chop to the base rate. In [...]
Payments watchdog won’t be abolished ‘any earlier than 2027’

February 4, 2026

The boss of the payments watchdog has said he doesn’t expect the regulator to be officially abolished any earlier than the first quarter of 2027 as criticism grows over the slow progress of reforms in the sector. David Geale, managing director at the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), said he had “not seen the outcome” of [...]

FCA crypto crackdown will ‘wipe out’ bad actors, says Coinbase boss

Manchester United’s new stadium is a test of sports finance – but markets have a solution

Is the Maybach GLS the most excessive SUV?

By: Samuel Norman

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