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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Motor finance compensation scheme hanging by a thread amid legal row

May 8, 2026

The City watchdog has told lenders to prepare for the “alternative scenario of no scheme” in the long-running motor finance scandal as another legal showdown brews. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has received four legal challenges including from lenders Volkswagen Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and Crédit Agricole Auto Finance. On the consumer side, the [...]
Shell shares slump after earnings rocket on oil surge

May 7, 2026

Shell kicked off a mega share buyback following a bumper first quarter that breezed past expectations on the back of booming oil trading. The FTSE 100 oil major recorded earnings of $6.9bn (£5bn), cruising past the consensus pencilled in by analysts of $6.4bn. It also marked a significant uplift on the $3.3bn pocketed in the [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks down on election day; oil back below $100 as Iran deal hangs in balance

May 7, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. It’s local election day in the UK and Keir Starmer’s premiership is hanging in the balance as his Labour Party prepares to take a drubbing in council boroughs across the country. Gilt yields rose at their fastest rate earlier this week as the market prepares [...]
FTSE 100 banks are facing £2.5bn of headwinds – HSBC and Barclays are in the firing line

May 6, 2026

The FTSE 100’s Big Five banks toasted a healthy profit stash in the first-quarter, but, says Samuel Norman, storm clouds are gathering on the horizon for the sector. The London market’s five biggest banks swallowed a bitter cocktail of economic risks in the first three months of the year leaving a bumper cash haul overshadowed [...]
City watchdog probes Mastercard, Visa, Paypal for alleged anti-competitive conduct

May 6, 2026

The City watchdog has confirmed it is investigating a trio of payments giants over alleged anti-competitive conduct. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will probe Mastercard, Paypal and Visa under the Competition Act 1998 regarding its suspected conduct related to the “funding and usage” of Paypal’s digital wallet. Paypal’s digital wallet is an app-based system that [...]
London local elections 2026: Who will win in Waltham Forest?

May 6, 2026

After wrestling over Waltham Forest since the borough was created, Labour and the Conservatives now face a new threat from the Greens. The Conservatives and Labour have played pass the parcel with Waltham Forest since its inception in 1965. Control of the borough has switched as much as eight times since its formation in 1965, [...]
London local elections 2026: Who will win in Bromley?

May 6, 2026

CLICK HERE to view all the latest London election results After years of watching their control fade in Bromley, the Conservatives will be fighting a battle on several fronts with Labour and Reform both chomping at the bit. The Conservatives have been slowly watching their grip on Bromley slip. The Tories have held onto the [...]
London local elections 2026: Who will win in Brent?

May 6, 2026

From conflict overseas to transport on the home front, several issues will test Labour’s hold on Brent in the upcoming local elections. Brent will be a place where Labour will be fighting several opponents. The home of Wembley Stadium, Brent is an apt council to showcase whether Labour suffers a heavy defeat or enjoys triumphant [...]
London local elections 2026: Who will win in Bexley?

May 6, 2026

What has traditionally been a back and forth between Conservatives and Labour, for the forthcoming local elections Bexley is being viewed as Reform’s top shot at cracking London. In 2022, Bexley had a 5.2 per cent swing from Conservative to Labour but the Tories still managed to hold onto 33 seats, while Labour gained just [...]
London local elections 2026: Who will win in Barnet?

May 6, 2026

Labour faces a battle in defending Barnet in the local elections after recent surges in council tax and a flurry of defections since 2022. Barnet stands as a real test for both the Conservative and Labour party. What was traditionally a safe seat for the Tories flipped red in 2022 as Labour won the borough [...]

Iran and Russia to target Fifa World Cup, threat experts say

Iran and Russia to target Fifa World Cup, threat experts say

I’m 50 – but I feel young dining at Simpson’s in the Strand

By: Samuel Norman

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