Co-operative Bank calls in top bankers to explore takeover bids February 23, 2022 The Co-Operative Bank has called in top investment bankers as it begins eyeing up potential acquisition targets and exploring a move to consolidate the UK’s mid-size banking market.
Barclays freezes ex-boss Staley’s bonus until Epstein dispute resolution February 23, 2022 Barclays has frozen all scheduled bonus payments to its former boss Jes Staley until a dispute between he and Britain’s financial regulators over the way he characterised his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is resolved. The high street lender said today all bonus payments, which amount to around 70 per cent of Staley’s total [...]
More banker bonuses on the way this week February 21, 2022 Big banker bonuses are back on the table amid a robust rebound in lenders’ profits, annual results are expected to reveal this week. The City is expecting Barclays, which publishes finals on Wednesday, to register a £8.1bn profit haul, up sharply from £3.1bn in 2020 when the pandemic sent the banking sector spiralling. Investors will [...]
Australian property fintech PEXA gears up for government-backed UK launch February 15, 2022 Australian property fintech PEXA is set for a UK expansion with backing from the UK government as it looks to roll out a remortgage platform for UK mortgage lenders.
Higher interest rates and rebounding loan demand to boost UK banks February 10, 2022 A higher interest rate environment and a rebound in loan demand is set to boost Britain’s biggest lenders. UK banks’ net interest margins will widen on the Bank of England and the world’s biggest central banks launching a rate hike cycle this year to tame inflation, analysts are betting. Final quarter earnings for UK banks [...]
Borrowers ‘needn’t panic just yet’ after interest rates hike February 3, 2022 Real estate experts have said a rise in interest rates is “unlikely to dampen motivation to move” despite warnings that the news signals higher mortgage costs down the line. The Bank of England has hiked rates at successive meetings for the first time since 2004, with a majority of the Bank’s rate setters voting to [...]
Turnaround for Santander as bank takes home over €8bn in 2021 February 2, 2022 Spanish bank Santander took home over €8.1bn (£6.7bn) in 2021 profits, after enjoying its most profitable quarter for 12 years.
Even at seven times their income, single homebuyers are priced out of the market by £24,000 January 31, 2022 Despite many lenders relaxing their loan to income criteria, the average UK homebuyer is still priced out of the market unless purchasing with a partner. The current average loan to value, or the multiple of salary that a lender will loan to a buyer, has increased from 3.87 to 4.12 in the last ten years [...]
Starling Bank and Barclays in the race to carve up Kensington January 27, 2022 Digital challenger bank Starling and Barclays are among the names looking to snap up a piece of mortgage lender Kensington after its private equity owners put the firm up for sale last year, according to reports. Starling is reportedly up against Barclays and another high street lender to buy Kensington’s lending platform, while american investment [...]
High Street bank TSB returns to profit thanks to record mortgage lending January 27, 2022 High street bank TSB has revealed it returned to profit in 2021 thanks to record mortgage lending and a bounce back in the wider economy. The Spanish-owned lender posted annual pre-tax profits of £157.5m against losses of £204.6m in 2020. It comes after TSB notched up its highest-ever gross mortgage lending at £9.2 billion for [...]