FCA names interim FOS chair after abrupt leadership shake-up July 28, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority has named a new interim chair of the Financial Ombudsman Service after its initial recruitment campaign “proved unsuccessful”. The City regulator appointed Liam Coleman as the watchdog’s temporary chair, which comes as controversy surrounds the departures of former leadership. Coleman will replace Baroness Zahida Manzoor who abruptly announced in February she [...]
Chancellor exploring route to overturn impending ruling on motor finance July 25, 2025 The Chancellor is reportedly considering overruling the impending Supreme Court ruling on motor finance when it is handed down
Lloyds reports strong growth as UK economic conditions improve July 24, 2025 Lloyds bank has reported a strong financial performance in the first half of the year, achieving income growth and showing continued momentum across the business. The FTSE 100 giant, which includes Lloyd’s, Halifax and Bank of Scotland recorded a statutory profit after tax increase of £2.5bn, up 4 per cent year on year, with a [...]
Caroline Wayman: How I got through tough times at the Financial Ombudsman July 24, 2025 We dig into the memory bank of the City's top brass. Today, Caroline Wayman tells us how she got through tough times as head of the Financial Ombudsman.
FCA urges UK insurers to improve motor insurance claim handling July 22, 2025 UK insurers have been urged to improve their claim handling skills after the UK’s financial watchdog found “concerning evidence” of poor practice in the motor insurance market. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said hikes in motor insurance premiums were down to how claims are handled by insurers, adding that “insufficient management information” was resulting in [...]
Natwest and Lloyds: What to expect from FTSE 100 bank earnings next week July 21, 2025 The FTSE 100’s banking titans, Natwest, Barclays, Lloyds and HSBC are gearing up for what promises to be an interesting half-year reporting season. Lloyds and Natwest will kick off earnings on July 24 and July 25 followed by peers Barclays, HSBC and Standard Chartered the following week. The first quarter was defined by President Donald Trump’s [...]
UK bank profits in focus as lenders await critical motor finance court ruling July 20, 2025 Investors will be hoping UK banks will report solid earnings as lenders await the outcome of a critical court judgment that could unleash a major car finance compensation scheme. Lloyds Banking Group will kick off the sector’s half-year earnings with its results on Thursday, followed by NatWest Group on Friday. It comes at a significant [...]
Paragon Banking MD: ‘There’s a £500bn savings mountain sat in high street banks’ July 17, 2025 Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, Michael Helsby,managing director of strategic direction at Paragon Banking Group takes us through his career, and his reflections on the City, in Square Mile and Me What was your first job? I left school at 16 to become an apprentice Electrical [...]
Rachel Reeves accelerates deregulation push in Leeds Reforms July 15, 2025 Rachel Reeves has laid out plans to “rewire” the financial services system in a deregulation push as part of her Leeds reforms package. The Chancellor said the plans will make the UK the number one destination for financial services businesses by 2035 as the government “doubles down on the UK’s global strengths”. The Leeds Reforms [...]
Close Brothers drops brewery arm amid operations overhaul July 15, 2025 Close Brothers is set to sell off its specialist service provider division for the beer industry as the banking group continues to overhaul operations. The FTSE 250 listed group established Close Brewery Rentals Limited (CBRL) in 2007, which provides keg and cask rental, leasing, and management services for breweries and beverage producers. The division offers [...]