ALTERNATIVE MANAGER OF THE YEAR | The Shortlist day 5 June 23, 2011 Alternative fund managers represent one of the fastest-growing and most in demand areas of investment management. Demand for hedge funds from institutional investors is climbing rapidly thanks to their above inflation returns and low correlation to stock and bond markets. The global industry is now worth more than £1.2 trillion and looks set to shape [...]
Aviva sells RAC to Carlyle for £1bn June 23, 2011 Aviva is to sell its RAC roadside rescue business to private equity firm The Carlyle Group for £1bn, as the insurer continues scaling back from non-core areas to focus on its insurance operations. Aviva said it expected an accounting profit of £600m from the sale of Britain’s second-largest breakdown recovery group, and would use the [...]
Aviva nears RAC disposal June 21, 2011 INSURANCE giant Aviva is close to selling the RAC, the roadside rescue business it owns. Two private equity firms are in the final stages of bidding for the company, Sky News reported last night. Three buyout firms had put up final offers several days ago, including BC Partners, Carlyle Group and Clayton Dubilier & Rice. [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS June 19, 2011 Co-operative Bank The Co-operative Bank has appointed Richard France (left) and Chris Wilson to lead the Corporate and Business Relationship Banking team and the Corporate Banking Specialist Sectors operations respectively. France was previously head of the Bank’s nationwide corporate banking centres and Wilson led the firm’s Commercial Real Estate, Public Sector and Treasury Sales activities. [...]
AVIVA CONFIRMS MCFARLANE AS CHAIR June 15, 2011 INSURANCE group Aviva yesterday named former Australian bank chief John McFarlane as its next chairman, replacing Lord Colin Sharman who retires at the age of 70. Scottish-born McFarlane spent 20 years in senior City positions before moving to Australia to head up the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) for a decade until 2007.
Evercore buys Lexicon to up Europe stake June 8, 2011 US INVESTMENT banking adviser Evercore agreed to buy UK boutique advisory firm Lexicon Partners for a total £86m, it said yesterday, in a deal set to make millionaires of Lexicon’s founders. The deal will see Andrew Sibbald, Lexicon’s senior partner, 27 other partners and more than 70 employees share £38m in cash, equivalent to 44 [...]
Stocks suffer on global growth fears June 6, 2011 Stocks have fallen this morning on a hangover from weak US employment data on Friday, and falls in Asian markets overnight. US non-farm payroll data showing just 54,000 new jobs were created in May shocked the markets, leaving the Nasdaq 1.5 per cent lower. In Asia, the Nikkei fell to an 11-week closing low today [...]
The rock’n’roll banker that is set to chair Aviva June 5, 2011 FORMER Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) chief executive John McFarlane is being touted as the next chairman of insurance group Aviva, after Sir Richard Broadbent passed over the role last month in favour of a move to Tesco. The appointment of McFarlane, who currently sits on the board of RBS, is believed to [...]
Aviva UK head in shock exit June 2, 2011 A SHOCK change of roles at major City insurers saw Aviva’s high-flying UK chief executive Mark Hodges leave to become head of insurance broker Towergate yesterday. Aviva has moved in highly regarded insurance veteran Trevor Matthews, formerly of Friends Provident and Standard Life, to replace Hodges. The move is Aviva’s second high-profile exit in five [...]
Moody’s warns life insurers on sales as tax breaks end June 1, 2011 CUTBACKS on life insurers’ tax breaks in Europe are a threat to their competitiveness that is being compounded by ultra-low interest rates in the region, credit rating agency Moody’s said yesterday. European life insurers may see their sales volumes hurt if they fail to deliver better returns on life products than savings products offered by [...]