Increasing levels of cyber security will be vital as fintech approaches “watershed moment” January 12, 2017 In 1993, cartoonist Peter Steiner of The New Yorker coined the phrase: ‘On the internet, no-one knows you’re a dog.’ More than 20 years later, the issue of internet privacy and a user’s ability to send and receive messages anonymously, remains a significant barrier to building online trust. “The reality is, as individuals, if we [...]
Buy-to-lose? With new restrictions on buy-to-let mortgages and the introduction of other punitive measures in 2017, is there any value left in letting for mortgaged landlords? January 11, 2017 As we enter 2017, the tide has truly turned against Britain’s buy-to-let landlords. First, George Osborne discouraged people from buying a second residential property by imposing extra stamp duty of 3 per cent. Now, the Bank of England is demanding that mortgage lenders “stress test” loans to landlords. Since 1 January, the Bank’s Prudential Regulation [...]
Why solving the country’s housing crisis means backing – not battering – landlords January 10, 2017 Politics is a strange world, and the year’s events (Trump, Brexit and elsewhere in Europe) are topsy-turvy. But I still find it strange that Britain’s best and most effective form of housing provision, the private rented sector, is coming under such consistent attack. Policies such as changes to the way landlords are taxed, the stamp duty [...]
Deutsche Bank’s head of financial crime quits after just six months in role January 4, 2017 Deutsche Bank's man in charge of fighting financial crime is leaving his role after just six months. Peter Hazlewood, a veteran of HSBC, JP Morgan and Standard Chartered, was appointed global head of anti-financial crime and group money-laundering reporting officer at the German banking giant last July. He was based in Frankfurt and reported to Sylvie Matherat, the [...]
Deutsche Bank share price up as merger and bailout rumours shot down January 2, 2017 Shares in Deutsche Bank are trading up today after the German banking giant's chairman silenced murmurs of mergers and bailouts. The share price for the country's biggest bank had a turbulent 2016, particularly after it was revealed in September that the US Department of Justice was considering slapping the lender with a fine of as [...]
UK house price growth has edged up from its November low December 29, 2016 December may traditionally be a bad time to try to sell your house – but UK house prices bucked the trend this month, with growth edging up from their low in November. Nationwide's house price index showed prices rose 4.5 per cent in the year to December, up from 4.4 per cent in November, its [...]
Bad Christmas: Housebuilder share prices are falling December 28, 2016 Shares in the UK's largest housebuilders fell today, after a profit warning from one, as well as disappointing mortgage figures. Bovis was the biggest faller on the FTSE 250, with shares falling 4.8 per cent to 815.5p in lunchtime trading after it warned on profits, saying it expected to complete on fewer homes than anticipated [...]
Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse share prices rise after multi-billion pound settlements with US Department of Justice December 23, 2016 Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse's share prices have risen this morning after the two lenders agreed to multi-billion dollar settlements with the US Department of Justice (DoJ). Deutsche Bank announced it had reached a $7.2bn (£5.8bn) agreement in principle with the US authorities early this morning over the sale and pooling of mortgage-backed securities in the run-up [...]
Deutsche Bank mega fine could be sorted by Wednesday December 19, 2016 Deutsche Bank could enter 2017 with one less item to tick off its to-do list, as it has emerged that a potential mega fine from the US Department of Justice (DoJ) could be settled on Wednesday. In September, it was revealed the German banking giant was facing a penalty of $14bn (£11.3bn) for mis-selling mortgage-backed securities. [...]
City Moves for 19 December 2016 | Who’s switching jobs December 19, 2016 Fitch Fitch has appointed Sean Costello as head of its EMEA corporates banker team. Sean joins from Commerzbank where he was head of loan capital markets within their leveraged finance group. Sean joined Commerzbank in August 2005 from the leveraged loan distribution team at Bank of Scotland and prior to that, NIBC Bank and NatWest Capital Markets. With [...]