High Court blocks Prudential’s £12bn transfer of annuities to Rothesay August 16, 2019 The High Court has taken the highly unusual measure of blocking a proposal by Prudential to transfer £12bn of annuities to Rothesay Life. Prudential said it was “disappointed” by the High Court’s decision to block the sale to Rothesay – a private company backed by Blackstone – which was agreed in March last year. “The [...]
Union urges Ryanair to attend talks to avert summer strikes August 15, 2019 A trade union has urged Ryanair to attend talks to resolve the current dispute with its pilots over pay and working conditions. The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), which has over 10,000 members, has called on the budget airline to attend talks with the Acas conciliation service after pilots voted for strike action for Thursday [...]
Admiral profits dented £33m by insurance regulation change August 14, 2019 Car insurer Admiral has taken a £33.3m hit to its profits following the introduction of changes to how compensation for those injured in accidents is calculated. The figures The government changed the Ogden rate, which governs how much insurers pay to people seriously injured in car accidents, in July. Admiral said the changes had cut [...]
City Moves for 13 August – Who’s switching jobs at Circassia, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and RPMI? August 13, 2019 Today’s City Moves includes Circassia, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and RPMI. Circassia Dr Rod Hafner, senior vice president of research and development at Circassia Pharmaceuticals, a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on respiratory disease, will step down from the board after 11 years as a director. However, Rod will remain part of the senior management [...]
City Moves for 12 August – Who’s switching jobs at Autologyx, Diffblue and Troy Asset Management? August 12, 2019 Today’s City Moves includes Autologyx, Diffblue and Troy Asset Management. Autologyx Digital operations platform Autologyx has appointed Sandeep Ram as chief commercial officer to accelerate its expansion. The company has recently secured an additional £1m in funding from its existing investor base. However, with ambitious targets for the next 18 months, Autologyx felt now was [...]
AA share price climbs as earnings accelerate at motor breakdown insurer August 8, 2019 Breakdown insurance firm AA saw its share price rise almost five per cent this morning as it told investors that half-year earnings are set to outpace last year’s growth. Read more: Hasting insurance struggles as rate change sinks profits Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) for the six months to July will beat [...]
Aviva confirms strategic review of Asia units as UK life insurance profits fall August 8, 2019 Aviva confirmed it is reviewing its Asian insurance arms with the potential for a sale as it revealed what its chief executive called a “mixed” bag of half-year results today. The figures The insurer saw operating profit climb one per cent year on year to £1.45bn in the first six months of 2019, beating forecasts [...]
City Moves for 8 August – Who’s switching jobs at 11:FS, AlbionVC and Databricks? August 8, 2019 Today’s City Moves includes 11:FS, AlbionVC and Databricks. 11:FS 11:FS, the challenger firm defining and building digitally native financial services through technology, product and design expertise, has announced that Shaun Meadows has joined the firm as chairman. In the newly created role, Shaun will work with the 11:FS board to review company objectives, examine performance [...]
Pensions consolidator Phoenix posts jump in profit August 7, 2019 Insurance firm Phoenix has posted a surge in profit for the first half of the year after buying out more British pension schemes. The FTSE 100 company reported a pre-tax profit of £217m in the six months to the end of June, compared to a £42m loss last year. Read more: Insurer Phoenix on the [...]
Legal & General boosts profit and revenue in first half of 2019 August 7, 2019 Legal & General boosted profit and revenue in the first half of 2019, as it said the UK represents an “enormous opportunity” for its growing pensions market. The figures The insurer saw profit before tax rise 12 per cent year on year to hit £1bn in the six months to June. Earnings per share grew in [...]