Six parties in Lloyds talks for branches July 24, 2011 LLOYDS is in talks with six interested parties over the sale of its 632 branches, City A.M. understands, despite only two of them having submitted formal bids so far. However, some of those involved are only interested in chunks of the £68bn in assets on sale, which could prove a headache for regulators who want [...]
Spending spree plans at London & Stamford July 21, 2011 LONDON & Stamford Property (L&S) has stepped up plans to expand its residential portfolio, agreeing to buy more than 100 residential properties in north London for £49.1m. The real estate developer announced yesterday it had bought 107 private residential units and 31 car parking spaces in Islington from Seward Street Developments, bringing its total portfolio [...]
Battle to be best of the Tests to end all square July 20, 2011 ENGLAND vs INDIA Today – 11 am Sky Sports 1 AFTER two and a half years of hard work England have the chance to officially become the number one Test side in the world. To do that they will need to beat incumbent rulers India by at least two clear Tests, with the sides about [...]
Fall in London house supply July 18, 2011 A DROUGHT of available residential property in London is propping up prices and rents, a survey in the capital revealed yesterday. June’s stock for sale was down 20 per cent on the previous year, while there was a 30 per cent fall in available rental properties, according to estate agents Douglas & Gordon. “The shortage [...]
Investors in fine wines toast gains July 18, 2011 FINE wine remains a good choice for investors, who enjoyed steady gains of over 13 per cent during the first six months of 2011, according to Bordeaux Index. Gary Boom, founder and MD of the fine wine merchant, said that 15 per cent growth in wine sales in the first quarter of the year reinforced [...]
House prices fall in London and rest of UK July 17, 2011 House prices have dropped for the first time this year, according to a well-regarded Rightmove index released this morning. Prices fell 1.6 per cent across the UK in July, with even London’s houses experiencing a 1.4 per cent dip, the figures showed. In June, the average residential property in the capital hit an all time [...]
Rents in London now average more than £1,000 per month July 14, 2011 RENTAL costs have soared past £1,000 per month in London, a survey of letting agents revealed this morning. London’s rents were up an average of 6.9 per cent per property in June compared to the same time the previous year, the Buy-to-Let Index from LSL Property Services said. While rent inflation is particularly intense in [...]
Barratt sees return to full year profit July 14, 2011 BARRATT Developments, one of the UK’s largest house builders, said it would return to full-year profit despite market conditions remaining tough. The firm predicted a full-year pre-tax profit of £40m before exceptional items, after a loss of £33m in 2010, meeting market expectations. In its trading statement ahead of its annual results due September, the [...]
First time buyer market may ease July 14, 2011 WITH the Bank of England keeping interest rates at the record low of 0.5 per cent, the outlook should be good for those looking to buy a home. But with renting in London costing 50 per cent more than the rest of the country and banks requiring higher and higher deposits, the picture for those [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 11, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES INSURERS TO FUND POLICE TEAM IN FRAUD CRACKDOWN Insurers are to spend £8.2m funding a specialist police unit that will be dedicated to cracking down on the growing problem of insurance fraud, which costs an estimated £2bn a year. A new unit of 35 specialist fraud detectives and police support staff will be [...]