Call for probe into collapse of Flyglobespan December 20, 2009 SCOTTISH finance secretary John Swinney has called for an investigation into the failure of collapsed airline Flyglobespan. The Edinburgh-based business went into administration on Wednesday leaving thousands of passengers stranded and 550 staff facing redundancy a week before Christmas. Swinney said that a probe into the failure should look at the role of credit card [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS December 20, 2009 PricewaterhouseCoopers The accountancy firm has appointed Martin Caddick to lead its risk and business continuity management services team. Caddick joins from insurance broking and risk advisory firm Marsh, where he developed a successful business continuity practice and worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies in the UK and overseas. He also previously held director roles at [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 17, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES STRICKEN SCOTTISH AIRLINE’S £30M IN QUESTION Administrators of Globespan, the collapsed Scottish airline that has left thousands of passengers stranded abroad, were investigating last night why £30m of its funds were being held by E-Clear, the company that handles its credit card transactions. Bruce Cartwright, of PwC, said he understood that about half [...]
FSA in derivatives clean up December 16, 2009 FINANCIAL authorities yesterday called for improved transparency on over-the-counter derivatives products as well as higher charges for non-centrally cleared trades. In a paper called “Reforming OTC Derivatives Markets”, the Treasury and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) said the financial crisis had highlighted “shortcomings in the management of counterparty credit risk and the absence of sufficient [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS December 16, 2009 Prudential The insurer has appointed Margaret Coltman as general counsel and company secretary. Coltman, who will also be on the executive committee, was initially appointed to the role in July on an interim basis, having formerly worked as general counsel and company secretary at Lloyds Banking Group. She started her career at law firm Norton [...]
Swiss Life cuts dividend but raises key targets December 15, 2009 EUROPEAN insurer Swiss Life will cut its dividend payout ratio to between 20 and 40 per cent until at least 2012 in a bid to protect its balance sheet. Switzerland’s largest life insurer said the move would strengthen its capital base, an essential step, and restore its “A” credit rating. Currently Swiss Life aims to [...]
London rises to highest close in 3 weeks on Dubai bailout December 14, 2009 BRITAIN’S top share index closed at its highest level in a week yesterday, led by banks, after Abu Dhabi bailed out Dubai with $10bn in surprise aid, with commodities stocks also notching up solid gains. The FTSE 100 closed up 53.77 points at 5,315.34, its highest close since 4 December, adding to a rise the [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 14, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES COUNCILS THREATEN ICELAND BANK ACTION Council leaders have threatened to launch legal proceedings against a failed Icelandic bank which they fear will not repay £150m in deposits made by local authorities before the credit crunch. British councils had £900m of deposits in Iceland when a trio of its banks collapsed. So far barely [...]
Abu Dhabi gives Dubai a $10bn bailout December 14, 2009 ABU DHABI’S surprise $10bn (£6bn) bailout of neighbouring Dubai has given the debt-laden emirate some breathing space to restructure its troubled Dubai World conglomerate. Yesterday’s move prevented an embarrassing debt default by Nakheel, the property arm of Dubai World, and went some way towards reassuring investors. Abu Dhabi’s intervention, which investors had been waiting for [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS December 14, 2009 Edison Investment Research Céline Saikali has joined the research firm as an account director, tasked with re-launching its investor access offering and focusing on European opportunities. Saikali previously worked at financial PR agency Redleaf Communications as an account director and head of the transaction team. Prior to that, she was at Dresdner Kleinwort, covering emerging [...]