Aviva aims to sell divisions by end of year August 9, 2012 INSURANCE giant Aviva hopes to sell some of its underperforming units by the end of the year, its executive chairman said yesterday. John McFarlane confirmed that his firm has appointed investment banks to advise on the disposal of 10 units, telling analysts that some of the deals are set for completion in the next six [...]
Mining gains prop up FTSE August 9, 2012 Gains in heavyweight miners kept Britain’s main share index flat this morning, as solid results from Randgold Resources and expectations of fresh stimulus measures from China propped up the equity markets. The FTSE 100 was down 0.08 per cent, as Randgold rose 3.1 per cent after reporting a 10 per cent rise in second-quarter profit. [...]
Aviva profit down on restructuring costs August 9, 2012 Aviva, Britain’s second-largest insurer, reported a 10 per cent drop in half-year profit, blaming higher costs as it pushes through reorganisation aimed at improving its financial performance. Aviva made an operating profit of £935m in the first six months of 2012, down from £1.035bn a year earlier, it said today. Analysts had expected a profit [...]
Our gold medals herald a golden age for UK sport August 6, 2012 WITH London 2012 in full swing, British sport is entering a golden age. Hosting an Olympic Games offers huge possibilities – increasing the profile of athletics in this country and building a gateway for all the aspiring young athletes coming through the system. Many young people watching these extraordinary athletes will be thinking “next time [...]
THE TIPSTER | Insuring against losses August 6, 2012 THE reorganisation of Aviva, the insurance giant, continues apace, as its new chief executive keeps to his plan of trimming the business down to a more manageable size. The disposal of divisions in eastern Europe reflects the determination of the new management to keep the company under firm control, and its recovery from June lows [...]
Aviva profits to fall in advance of great sell-off August 5, 2012 AVIVA is expected to announce a fall in profits this week as its new executive chairman John McFarlane prepares to flesh out proposals to streamline the business with a series of disposals. The firm adopted a radical change in direction following the resignation of former chief executive Andrew Moss in May, pleasing investors who felt [...]
A successful debut for McFarlane will rely on a clear disposal plan August 5, 2012 WHILE most of the UK’s attention was well and truly focused on the Olympics this weekend, shareholders in Aviva and other insurers may also have had one eye on the weather forecast. Analysts are already predicting Aviva’s general insurance profits will drop by as much as five per cent after heavy rain caused damage across [...]
LONDON WEEK AHEAD August 5, 2012 UK economics will be in the sspotlight this week, with the rrelease of the Bank of England inflation report, UK Trade Balance, the Producer Price Index and BRC Retail Sales Monitor. Results are expected today from Catlin Group, Morgan Sindall and Telecity Group, while in the US Chesapeake Energy is set to reveal figures. EasyJet [...]
Alliance Trust takes on £1.2bn of Aviva’s assets along with staff August 2, 2012 ALLIANCE Trust, one of Britain’s largest investment trusts, has signed a deal to acquire a portfolio of “socially responsible” funds from insurance group Aviva as it moves ahead with an overhaul of its businesses. Alliance Trust said yesterday its Alliance Trust Investments unit will pay £1m to take on £1.2bn of assets in Aviva Investors [...]
CITY VIEWS | HAVE YOU HAD ANY TRANSPORT TROUBLES DURING THE OLYMPICS? July 31, 2012 AHMED PATHAK AVIVA There were no problems for getting in to work today. It seems my colleagues have been prepared for the Olympics for a while now and are using their common sense to get around the hotspots along the Central Line by using other stations. JAMES MACKIE XCHANGING My commute to work was fine; [...]