Bank of England cuts interest rate in split decision May 8, 2025 The Bank of England has cut interest rates to 4.25 per cent in a split decision dividing hawks and doves. The Bank’s policymakers suggested that President Trump’s aggressive tariffs on China were “more likely to be disinflationary than inflationary”, with price growth expected to level off to its two per cent target by the end [...]
House prices rise in April: ‘The market is baring its teeth’ May 8, 2025 House prices in the UK ticked up in April as the market unexpectedly bounced back from the end of stamp duty relief. According to Halifax, house prices increased by 0.3 per cent in April vs a fall of 0.5 per cent in March, making the average property now £297,781. Prices have been remarkably stable over [...]
TSB Bank’s profit rockets from stamp duty rush and cost-cutting May 8, 2025 TSB Bank’s cost-cutting plans and a rush to beat the stamp duty deadline imposed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves helped bolster profits in the first quarter. The Edinburgh-headquartered lender increased profit before tax to £101.3m for the first three months of 2025 – an 89 per cent jump from £53.4m in 2024. Operating expenses fell 4.7 [...]
Britain’s SMEs must get over their aversion to debt to ramp up growth May 8, 2025 Britain's small businesses can power growth, but only with a rebooted SME finance market, writes Allica Bank CEO Richard Davies.
Banks called on to slash mortgage borrowing costs May 7, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has called on lenders to take informed risks in the mortgage market to improve consumer support. The City regulator has launched a consultation on mortgage rules which targets reducing the overall cost of borrowing through term reductions and access to cheaper products when remortgaging. It said discussions will include “consideration [...]
Natwest to ‘outperform’ sector with bumper year, analysts predict May 6, 2025 RBC analysts slapped a “Sector Outperform” rating on Natwest after the lender beat expectations in its first-quarter report. The analysts upgraded full-year profit before tax estimates by three per cent to £7.1bn, compared to £6.2bn in 2024, and upped the stock’s target price to 475p from 465p. They said the upgrades were driven by net [...]
FTSE 100 lenders cash in on market turmoil but provisions climb May 5, 2025 FTSE 100 banking giants saw trading income spike in the first quarter as investors sold-off stocks in the face of geopolitical tensions, but tariff threats continued to weigh on future earnings. HSBC kicked off reporting season pocketing a $9.5bn (£7.1bn) pre-tax profit, which surged ahead of the $7.8bn pencilled in by analysts. Barclays and Natwest [...]
Natwest shares jump as stamp duty rush and market chaos boost income May 2, 2025 Natwest beat analysts’ first-quarter profit expectations after market volatility and a rush to beat stamp duty boosted takings. The FTSE 100 giant booked a £1.8bn pre-tax profit, surpassing the £1.6bn pencilled in by analysts. Shares in the lender rose over three per cent during early trading on Friday. Total income rose 3.8 per cent to [...]
Mortgage borrowing surges ahead of stamp duty changes May 1, 2025 Net borrowing or mortgages spiked by £9.7bn in March as house buyers looked to clinch deals before higher stamp duty taxes came into effect. Net borrowing levels exceeded £13bn, according to the Bank of England, as the rise compared to February beat market forecasts of £3.2bn. EY ITEM Club’s Matt Swannell said the surge in [...]
Lloyds costs soar as lender increases provisions after tariff turmoil May 1, 2025 Lloyds Banking Group’s profit took a hit in the first three months of the year as the domestic-focused bank’s operating costs soared. The FTSE 100 giant, which includes Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, met analyst expectations for pre-tax profit at £1.5bn – marking a seven per cent drop from the first quarter of 2024. [...]