Battle of the banks July 8, 2010 SOME OF the City’s most powerful names are gearing up for an almighty bidding battle over state-controlled banking assets including Northern Rock and parts of Lloyds Banking Group. Lloyd’s of London chairman Lord Levene and City grandee Sir David Walker will take on Richard Branson’s Virgin money in a fight to create a new nationwide [...]
Failed $400m RidgeWorth deal hits Henderson’s profits July 8, 2010 FUND management group Henderson said yesterday its failed takeover of US fund manager RidgeWorth had made a sizeable dent to its profit forecasts. In a trading update, Henderson said recurring profits for the six months to end-June will be between £47m and £49m – six per cent lower than expected. That compares with the £27m [...]
INSURANCE July 8, 2010 Q. What are the basic kinds of insurance required of a small business? A.Business insurance requirements depend on the firm’s type, but at the bare minimum you will require public liability insurance, business motor insurance and liability insurance for any employees. While public liability insurance isn’t necessarily legally mandated, most serious businesses cover themselves for [...]
City heavyweights poised to swoop for government assets July 8, 2010 A PAIR of prominent City figures are drawing up secret plans to launch a bid for one of the banks owned by British taxpayers, according to Sky News. It has been reported that Lord Levene, chairman of Lloyd’s of London, and Sir David Walker are backing a new acquisition vehicle that will list on the [...]
Henderson hands international property unit to Aviva Investors July 7, 2010 FUND management group Henderson has transferred its international property fund over to Aviva Investors following a strategic review of the fund’s prospects. The international property fund, which faltered under previous owner New Star as redemptions ballooned in the credit crisis, was only re-opened to daily dealing in February after a closed period of over a [...]
Aviva agree £20m rugby deal July 7, 2010 AVIVA have agreed a £20m deal to become the new sponsors of Premiership rugby. The insurance giants penned a four-year deal to replace Guinness as the top-flight’s title sponsors, starting immediately. Premiership chiefs confirmed that both parties have agreed to make “significant investment in community programmes” as part of the deal. “This is a fantastic [...]
FUND MANAGEMENT NEWS July 6, 2010 SANLAM LAUNCHES AFRICAN FUND Sanlam Investment Management have launched a Ucits African Frontier Markets Fund. The minimum investment stands at £1,000, with a performance fee of 20 per cent and management fee of 1.75 per cent. The fund, managed by Eric Kibe, exploits African equities’ low correlation with mainstream global equity markets by investing in [...]
Ohuruogu: I may miss Euros July 5, 2010 OLYMPIC champion Christine Ohuruogu has told City.A.M she is likely to miss next month’s European Championships in Barcelona. Ohuruogu, 26, was absent from the 400m startline at last weekend’s Aviva UK Championships in Birmingham after picking up an untimely quadricep muscle injury in training. She was initially upbeat about the prognosis but further medical tests [...]
Aviva aims for clarity with its £8bn forecast July 1, 2010 INSURANCE firm Aviva will tell investors today it expects to boost the amount of capital it generates by at least 30 per cent this year to £1.3bn. The firm will also say its existing book will return £8bn in the next five years, in an effort to clarify its money-making potential to investors. Aviva is [...]
INSURERS STRAP IN FOR BLUNT’S MILE-HIGH RECORD-BREAKING GIG June 30, 2010 EVER wanted to watch James Blunt sing his heart out – live – at 42,000 feet? No, neither have we, but let’s not diminish Royal Sun Alliance’s (RSA) achievement in breaking the Guinness World Record for the world’s highest altitude live music show. The insurance group has kicked off its 300th anniversary celebrations with gusto [...]