Steel crisis: Government in talks with European Commission to avoid state aid clash April 24, 2016 The government is in talks with European competition regulators to avoid breaching state aid rules that could hold up attempts to rescue the UK's steel industry. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced last Thursday it would be willing to take a 25 per cent stake in Tata Steel's UK assets and offer "hundreds [...]
Competition warnings over OnTheMarket were pretty much inevitable April 22, 2016 Anyone with even a passing interest in technology and its history could have predicted this one: just as the Luddites were eventually overwhelmed by power looms, online property portal OnTheMarket was destined to stumble. And lo, yesterday it came to pass: the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) effectively took a sledgehammer to the site’s business [...]
Masthaven secures first retail banking licence of 2016 as challenger banks keep up the pressure on traditional groups April 21, 2016 Here's proof – if you needed it – that the rise of challenger banks continues. The government has granted its first retail banking licence of the year to Masthaven Bank – and the group is promising to "disrupt the market" with its approach to savings, mortgages and staff. Masthaven Bank received the thumbs up from the Prudential Regulation [...]
Competition and Markets Authority says provisional Ladbrokes-Gala Coral decision will be released in mid-May April 21, 2016 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said it will release a provisional decision on the Ladbrokes-Gala Coral merger in mid-May. The provisional decision was originally scheduled to be released on 18 April or soon after. However, City A.M. learned last week that the decision had been pushed back and the previous mid-April deadline was [...]
Financial services watchdog reveals more information on the secondary market for annuities April 21, 2016 The financial services watchdog has today asked for feedback on its proposed rules on the second-hand market for annuities. Suggestions by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) include requiring brokers to set out charges up front and agree them directly with the customer, rather than receiving a commission from firms acting as buyers, and to provide [...]
Estate Agent Wars: Competitions watchdog warns firms over suspected collusion in OnTheMarket antitrust row April 21, 2016 Has the government just hammered the final nail in the coffin for OntheMarket? Estate agents have been sent a warning by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), telling them they may be breaking the law by making "joint decisions" to join the portal and exit rivals such as Rightmove and Zoopla. Those who are suspected of [...]
Ladbrokes reeling from “worst Cheltenham ever” but claws back to positive net revenue growth across the board April 21, 2016 Bookmaker Ladbrokes has said it is reeling from its "worst Cheltenham ever" in March this year, but has posted strong results despite the downer from the annual festival. The figures Ladbrokes posted an "encouraging" start to the year this morning and said results were especially positive before the bookie's worst ever Cheltenham in March. Net revenue [...]
Another day, another challenger bank win, as TSB profits leap April 21, 2016 Following yesterday's suggestion that challenger banks are steaming ahead, this morning TSB bolstered that, as profits jumped 53 per cent. The figures Pre-tax profits rose 53 per cent from last year to £52.6m in the three months to the end of March, the bank said this morning, while total customer deposits rose 8.4 per cent to £26.8bn. Meanwhile, lending rose 28.3 per cent to £27..4bn, which [...]
What to expect from TSB’s latest results tomorrow morning, one year on from Sabadell’s takeover April 20, 2016 TSB, the challenger bank snapped up last year by Spain's Banco Sabadell for £1.7bn after being carved out of Lloyds Banking Group in 2014, will report its first quarter results tomorrow morning. Earlier this year TSB boasted that more than 1,000 new customers were joining it each day, and that it was beating its own target for customers switching [...]
City Moves for 20 April 2016 | Who’s switching jobs April 20, 2016 Tungsten Corporation Global e-mail invoicing provider Tungsten Corporation has appointed Prabhat Vira as president of Tungsten Finance, the supply chain finance arm of the business. Prabhat has more than 30 years of global banking experience, and has held senior positions in banking businesses across the world including roles in London, New York, Amsterdam, Singapore and [...]