Government unveils more funding for businesses hit by Storm Eva and Storm Desmond January 1, 2016 The government today made more funding available for businesses hurt by storms which wrought havoc in parts of the UK over the festive period. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced a £6m package to help he estimated 2,500 firms on either side of the Pennines left flooded by the Boxing Day deluge in the wake [...]
Comparethemarket.com: Cost of average car insurance soars to record high December 30, 2015 The cost of an average car insurance premium has soared to a record high, according to new data from Comparethemarket.com. The comparison website's motor insurance index has shown average car insurance premiums across all age groups currently stands at £675.61, the most since 2012. It added that the main reasons behind the jump in costs are the [...]
Economic impact of Storms Eva, Desmond and Frank could hit £3bn December 30, 2015 The UK economy could be dented by as much as £3bn by damage from Storms Eva, Desmond and Frank. PwC said economic losses from the storms Desmond and Eva will be between £1.6bn and £2.3bn, while insured losses will hit £900m-£1.2bn. "Based on the currently available information, our understanding is that Desmond and Eva combined had at least 11,500 [...]
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway heading for worst year relative to rest of the US stock market since 2009 December 30, 2015 The Oracle of Omaha is set for his worst investment year since 2009. Shares in revered investment guru Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway are down 11 per cent, in the same year Buffett celebrates his golden anniversary running the company. Berkshire Hathaway has suffered as a number of investments were hit by falling oil and gas prices. While the company doesn't [...]
RSA Insurance and Aviva share prices hit as experts warn Storm Eva could knock 0.25 percentage points off UK growth December 29, 2015 As people in Yorkshire and Lancashire spent a second day recovering from once-in-a-generation flooding, experts have warned the damaged wreaked by Storm Eva could hit the UK's GDP growth. Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS, suggested the impact could be felt both this year and next. "Looking at the extent of the [...]
UK flooding costs: Insurance losses from Storm Eva and Desmond top £1bn December 27, 2015 The economic damage of the torrential rains and floods that are forcing hundreds to flee from their homes in northern England could be as high as £1bn. Storm Eva has struck Yorkshire and Lancashire hard over Christmas, flooding many of the same regions that were hit by Storm Desmond just weeks ago. Although it may [...]
UK floods in pictures: Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge, West Bradford, Summerseat and other areas in Lancashire and Yorkshire affected December 26, 2015 People have been evacuated from their homes in some areas of Yorkshire and Lancashire on Boxing Day, after Northern England was struck by heavy rain. The Met Office issued their highest severe weather warning for the area, advising those present to "take action" and others not to travel to affected regions. The River Calder, River Ribble and [...]
Hebden Bridge flooding “worse than 2012” as red warning issued for rain in Yorkshire and Lancashire December 26, 2015 Insurers are braced for the fall-out from severe flooding in Yorkshire and Lancashire which some local business owners have described as worse than the devastating floods of 2012. Homes in Lancashire and Yorkshire have been evacuated after the Met Office issued its most severe red weather warning for rain. Some areas are expected to experience a month's [...]
Law firm Slater and Gordon share price falls as it faces class action over Quindell division purchase from rival Maurice Blackburn December 23, 2015 Slater and Gordon is facing a possible class action suit from a rival law firm due to a "devastating" share price drop suffered since acquiring a division of embattled Quindell earlier this year. Rival Maurice Blackburn said shares in the law firm have shed around 90 per cent since April, as investors questioned its acquisition of the [...]
Cyber siege: What businesses should learn from 2015’s hacks against TalkTalk, Carphone Warehouse and Wetherspoons December 23, 2015 We will remember the past year in IT security as yet another in which cyber-attackers have got the better of major organisations, from the US government’s HR agency, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and health insurance giant Anthem over in the States, Hong Kong-based toy manufacturer VTech and Japanese-owned Hello Kitty brand, through to [...]