Lloyds said to be frontrunner in bidding for Bank of America’s £7bn-valued MBNA November 21, 2016 Lloyds Banking Group is thought to be the frontrunner for Bank of America’s £7bn-valued UK credit card business. The UK lender is reported to have edged ahead of US private equity group Cerberus in the bidding for MBNA’s British credit card operation. For Lloyds, it would mark the first acquisition since it was bailed out by [...]
Dear Mr Trump… An open letter to the President-Elect on the foreign policy principles that will maintain America’s greatness November 21, 2016 “Now on the street tonight the lights grow dim/The walls of my room are closing in/There’s a war outside still raging/You say it ain’t ours anymore to win/I want to sleep beneath/Peaceful skies in my lover’s bed/With a wide open country in my eyes/And these romantic dreams in my head” – Bruce Springsteen, No Surrender [...]
The UK’s high earners have seen some of the steepest tax increases over the last 20 years November 21, 2016 High earners in the UK have faced some of the world's steepest increases in income taxes over 20 years, according to new figures. Sums from accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young show the average rate paid by those earning more than $1m (£810,000) has climbed four per cent since 1996 to 43 per cent. By contrast, the [...]
Not so hotline bling: This £180k Lambo has been seized as part of a police crackdown on mobile phone-using drivers November 18, 2016 Ever had a near-miss on the streets of the capital after a driver failed to spot you because they were texting? Read on – for the Met Police has just seized a £180,000 Lamborghini because its owner was spotted using a mobile phone when driving. Sweet revenge… In a statement today the Metropolitan Police said the 42-year-old [...]
Pension Insurance Corporation will launch a £250m corporate bond to fund a raft of new business November 17, 2016 A wave of Britain's largest firms are planning to offload huge pension liabilities to a key market player. The Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC), a company that specialises in taking pension headaches away from businesses, will today launch a £250m investment bond to fund a bottleneck of deals in late 2016 and early 2017. Sources close to the [...]
Personal injury lawyers disappointed at ministry of justice plans November 17, 2016 Personal injury lawyers reacted angrily to government proposals to clamp down on spurious whiplash claims. The ministry of justice will reveal proposals today, in an attempt to reduce the spiralling number of whiplash claims the insurance industry say are putting huge inflationary pressure on motor premiums. Read more: Churchill owner says "ooh yesh" after bumper motor [...]
The ministry of justice to stamp out “bogus” whiplash claims, while insurers promise to pass on savings November 17, 2016 Insurers and motorist groups celebrated government plans to get tough on bogus whiplash claims. Motor insurers have clamoured about the inflationary impact of whiplash claims over recent years. They have said that despite a generally soft insurance market, motor premiums have soared because of spiralling personal injury claims. Read more: Here's one more way the cost of motoring is [...]
Global fintech venture capital soars to $15.2bn as UK market swings back into action post-Brexit vote November 16, 2016 Global fintech venture capital soared in the first three quarters of the year, as the UK market perks up again post-Brexit vote. Worldwide VC investment in the first three quarters of the year was up by 27 per cent year-on-year, with 839 deals completed in the first nine months of the year, with a combined [...]
LV quits the annuity market: experts say it was inevitable November 16, 2016 LV is the next big insurance name to flee the enhanced annuity market with immediate effect. With annuity rates plummeting as the lower-for-longer interest rate environment persists, the announcement follows the earlier news that the insurer was reviewing its annuity operations. Read more: Binning the government's annuity initiative: Here's what the experts think “The writing was on the wall," [...]
Prudential aiming to grow dividend by five per cent as insurer sees no surprises in third quarter trading November 16, 2016 Prudential is aiming to grow its dividend by five per cent per annum, the insurer said today, as it prepared to host its capital markets day in central London. The company said it would "maintain its focus on delivering a growing ordinary dividend", and added that: "The potential for additional distributions will continue to be [...]