City Moves for 31 October – who’s switching jobs at Mayer Brown, Meggitt and IOE&IT? October 30, 2018 Who’s switching jobs today? Mayer Brown Global law firm Mayer Brown announced that Ashley McDermott has joined the firm’s banking and finance practice in London as a partner. He will advise on a range of lending transactions, particularly those involving emerging markets. Ashley’s practice is focused on export, trade and multilateral financing, especially in the [...]
Serious Fraud Office chief steps back from Barclays case over conflicts October 28, 2018 The new director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) Lisa Osofsky has recused herself from the prosecution of four former Barclays bankers over potential conflicts of interest. The fraud office said she had delegated responsibility for the case to the SFO’s general counsel Alun Milford to “avoid any potential conflict” thrown up by previous private [...]
SFO loses bid to reinstate charges against Barclays over 2008 Qatar deal October 26, 2018 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) lost its bid today to reinstate charges against Barclays over a Qatar loan it made at the height of the financial crisis. The High Court today ruled against the SFO's appeal of an earlier court ruling in favour of the bank. Barclays will now face no regulatory sanctions over the 2008 [...]
Standard Chartered opposes animal testing as it tightens environmental policies October 25, 2018 Standard Chartered will no longer finance clients who test cosmetic products on animals, it said today as it announced a raft of tightened environmental and social policies. The emerging markets-focused bank will also avoid financing plantation or livestock ranches that degrade High Carbon Stock forests, peatlands or legally protected areas, or operations that grow, process [...]
Jes Staley seeks to brush off Bramson challenge but Barclays still faces the headwinds October 24, 2018 Barclays CEO Jes Staley struck a bullish tone yesterday, insisting his investment banking division was on the up. Third quarter profits jumped to £1.5bn, up from £1.1bn a year ago. If this puts a spring in Staley's step, there are plenty of items in his in-tray to pull him back down to earth – not [...]
Arnold Schwarzenegger ad campaign drives PPI payments to £3.7bn in 10 months October 24, 2018 A total of £3.7bn has been paid out relating to wrongfully sold payment protection insurance (PPI) since the City watchdog launched a campaign featuring an animatronic Arnold Schwarzenegger head to increase consumer action. Since the campaign started at the beginning of this year, 4m checking enquiries were made with monthly volumes up 40 per cent on [...]
Deutsche Bank profits beat expectations but investment banking slides October 24, 2018 Deutsche Bank posted a faltering set of numbers this morning, experiencing falls in its corporate and investment bank as well as a drop in profit that still beat expectations. The figures Pre-tax profit plunged 46 per cent to €506m (£447m) year-on-year for the bank’s third quarter, it revealed today. However, these still surpassed analyst expectations [...]
Barclays prepares for hard Brexit as Irish expansion gathers pace October 24, 2018 The chief executive of Barclays said the bank is fully prepared for a hard Brexit as its Irish expansion plans gather pace. Jes Staley said it would be business as usual for customers after Britain leaves the EU on March 29. The bank will use its Irish subsidiary as a central European hub to guard [...]
St James’s Place shares slump despite £100bn funds under management October 23, 2018 Shares in wealth manager St James's Place slumped this morning despite the revelation that the company had hit a record breaking £100bn in funds under management. The firm announced that assets under management rose to £100.6bn, up 11 per cent since the beginning of the year, however shares slipped 4.6 per cent on news of slower quarterly growth. [...]
Serious Fraud Office presses for criminal charges to be reinstated against Barclays October 22, 2018 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is pressing to get criminal charges reinstated against Barclays related to its capital raising arrangements at the height of the financial crisis. The high street bank and four former executives were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and the provision of unlawful financial assistance in 2017, connected to a deal [...]