Credit Suisse’s ravaged reputation is salvageable but it will be a long slog April 28, 2021 Credit Suisse faced the music again last week. The Swiss bank posted a devastating first quarter loss of £593million after the dramatic collapse of US hedge fund Archegos. The bankruptcy was hot on the heels of the downfall of financial firm Greensill. The bank’s chief executive, Thomas Gottstein, branded the loss “unacceptable”. Even as it [...]
Telegraph profit jumps as pandemic boosts subscriber numbers April 27, 2021 The Telegraph has booked a sharp rise in profit for the year as continued growth in subscriber numbers helped to offset a wider downturn in newspaper revenue during the pandemic. Telegraph Media Group (TMG), which publishes the Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph and Telegraph website, posted operating profit of £28.3m in 2020 — up 76 per [...]
Bank earnings preview: What to expect in this week’s quarterly results April 26, 2021 While the banking sector has recovered somewhat in the past two months this week the issue of bad loans and customer defaults will be front of mind. The sector set aside billions in provisions for bad loans at the start of the pandemic, expecting a huge increase in defaults. However with thanks to government support [...]
Boost for first-time buyers as more ultra-low deposit mortgages hit the market April 24, 2021 In a further boost to first-time buyers, more lenders are bringing 5 per cent deposit mortgages onto the market. New deals announced by Metro Bank and Cambridge Building Society are not part of a new government-backed mortgage guarantee scheme which was launched this week to increase the availability of 5 per cent deposit loans. Major [...]
Canadian semiconductor firm Alphawave plans $4.5bn London IPO April 22, 2021 Toronto-based Alphawave is planning a London listing after setting a valuation of $4.5bn from cornerstone investors. The company is just four years old and develops technology that pushes data through data centres and phone networks. Alphawave said funds and accounts managed by Blackrock and Janus Henderson have entered agreements to subscribe $510m of offer shares [...]
Extinction Rebellion activists smash windows at HSBC in Canary Wharf April 22, 2021 Extinction Rebellion shattered over a dozen windows at HSBC’s headquarters in Canary Wharf as the group stages a climate change protest against the bank’s investment policies. Activists from the Extinction Rebellion group used hammers to break windows and pasted stickers on walls and windows before sitting down to wait for the police to arrive, according to [...]
Treasury Select Committee chair calls out UK banks for treatment of SMEs during Covid crisis April 20, 2021 Treasury Select Committee chair calls out UK banks for treatment of SME during Covid crisis
Nationwide to lend first-time buyers five times their income on long-term mortgage April 20, 2021 First-time buyers with deposits as low as 10 per cent will be able to borrow five and a half times their income when taking out a longer-term mortgage, the UK’s biggest building society said this morning. Nationwide Building Society said that under its “helping hand” initiative, first-time buyers across the UK will have the option [...]
UK banks launch new low-deposit mortgage scheme April 19, 2021 High street banks will today begin offering mortgages with a deposit of just five per cent under a new government-backed scheme. The scheme, first announced in the Budget, is designed to make home ownership more affordable for first-time buyers. Borrowers will be able to secure a mortgage with just a five per cent deposit on [...]
Amanda Staveley launches appeal over Barclays court defeat April 18, 2021 Financier Amanda Staveley has launched an appeal after losing her lawsuit against Barclays over the behaviour of the bank’s bosses negotiating investment deals. In a high-profile trial Staveley sued the lender over claims it gave her private equity firm PCP Capital Partners less favourable treatment than other parties in the emergency £7.3bn fundraising that saved [...]