Car manufacturer Renault offers RCI Banque bank account for UK savers June 8, 2015 Car manufacturer Renault’s finance arm is launching savings accounts in the UK for the first time, diversifying its funding base. Motor companies often run finance businesses to fund customers’ purchases of their cars, as well as related insurance products. But offering a wider range of services is not as common. RCI Banque, as the unit [...]
Laptops, cars and jewellery: The 10 things we can’t live without in 2015 June 8, 2015 Gadgets and sentimental jewellery, these are the things we just can’t live without in the modern age – a far cry from what mattered most to Brits 125 years ago. The laptop is our most crucial item today while the humble sewing machine was the essential thing we couldn't do without back in the 1890s [...]
DVLA changes to complicate car hire rules: Counterpart driving licences are being abolished and renters must register online June 2, 2015 Hiring a car abroad can be a hassle – with costs, paperwork, forward planning and strange roads to be taken into consideration. But alongside cutting costs, drivers should also be aware of the DVLA’s changes around driving licences. The burden of carrying a paper counterpart driving licence when hiring a car abroad will be [...]
Investec Comment: Why the future is bright for SME finance May 10, 2015 NO ONE needs to be told that it’s been a difficult few years for small businesses seeking finance, and economic recovery has done little to change this picture. The Bank of England’s latest Trends in Lending report found that the annual rate of growth in the stock of lending to small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) [...]
Bloodhound SSC race car stops by Willis: 1,000mph supersonic dream machine is City’s star attraction April 27, 2015 Something shiny caught The Capitalist’s eye near the iconic Lloyd’s building yesterday. Redefining the notion of a flashy car, most passing insurance workers on their lunch breaks could only look on adoringly and weep at the £20m price-tag. Designed to set a new land-speed record of 800 miles per hour on the vast, smooth plains [...]
PwC tells HMRC to pay up 10 years after MG Rover collapse, claiming £56m in overpaid VAT April 8, 2015 PwC is tapping HMRC up for £56m in overpaid VAT, 10 years to the day that the car giant entered administration. The financial services firm, which handled MG Rover's administration and subsequent liquidation, is claiming the taxman received excess payments on vehicles manufactured by the Midlands-based group and supplied to fleet operators “dating back a [...]
April Fools’ Day 2015: The best (and worst) jokes from BMW, Sun Life, Confused.com, Richard Branson and the London Eye April 1, 2015 Alright, so this year the various political weirdnesses (Joey Essex interviewing Nick Clegg, anyone?) have caused an air of ridiculousness to hang over Westminster for several weeks now – but outside the London bubble, the once-a-year gag fest that is April Fools' Day has kicked off in earnest. Here are some of the best (and [...]
City Moves for 31 March 2015 | Who’s switching jobs March 30, 2015 Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Rishi Baviskar has been appointed cyber risk consultant in Allianz’s corporate and specialty insurance business’s global risk consulting team. He has over 15 years’ experience working in IT for oil, gas, car, and pharmaceutical companies. Financial Reporting Council Jennifer Walmsley has been appointed director of investor engagement at the Financial [...]
Tough at the top: Will the FTSE giants fall from grace? March 26, 2015 From dividend cuts, to the accounting scandals just waiting to happen, SVM’s Colin McLean talks to Annabelle Williams about the potential pitfalls facing the UK market. The last few years have been tough for the UK’s biggest companies, as FTSE giants from supermarkets and banks, to insurers and oil majors, have come under pressure. [...]
Accounts with benefits: The perks of premium bank accounts March 26, 2015 Nothing says “badge of success” quite like a private bank account. Historically, offering them to customers has been the preserve of the private bank, but in recent years, growing numbers of high street institutions have begun to offer packaged – or premium – accounts to customers with substantial savings and (more often than not) six-figure [...]