‘Brexit is a mistake and London will be damaged’ warns Sir Howard Davies as NatWest chair claims ‘Boris Johnson hates the Treasury May 23, 2022 SIr Howard Davies, the chairman of banking giant NatWest, has called Brexit ‘a significant mistake’ as the City grandee said he is not very optimistic about the future of the UK. In fact, Sir Howard said he is concerned about the long-term impact Brexit will have on the City of London. In an interview with [...]
London economy squeezed by inflation grip in sign of looming UK-wide slowdown May 9, 2022 London’s economy is being choked by intensifying inflationary pressures in a sign that the rest of the UK is headed for a period of weaker growth, reveals a fresh survey released today. Concerns about a reduction in consumer spending in response to the worst cost of living crunch in 30 years has pushed London business [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile? May 6, 2022 City A.M.’s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every morning. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. GoCardless Fintech firm GoCardless has appointed a former Mastercard lead as its new president. Paul Stoddart brings a wealth of experience to the London firm, having been CEO of Vocalink after its takeover by Mastercard, and spent [...]
Ex-husband of Formula One heiress accused of taking part in £266m money laundering scheme May 5, 2022 The former husband of Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone’s played a leading role in a £266m money laundering scheme, a court has been told. Socialite James Stunt took a “a very hands-on approach” to running the operation, which saw millions in used noted deposited into the NatWest account of Bradford gold dealer Fowler Oldfield, prosecuters [...]
IFS: Top City brass pocket decade-beating payouts May 4, 2022 Top bosses in the City are pocketing bumper payouts not seen for a decade, reveals analysis published today by a leading economic think tank. Growth in average pay packets in the Square Mile has far outstripped the rest of the economy since just before the onset of the Covid-19 crisis, according to the Institute for [...]
Natwest’s profits soar as high interest rates boost bank’s mortgage business April 29, 2022 Natwest today said its profits had almost doubled since the previous quarter, despite inflation, the cost-of-living crisis, and the war in Ukraine. The bank said it had generated £841m in profits in the first quarter of 2022, up 93.8 per cent compared to the £434m in profits Natwest posted in Q4 2021. The first quarter [...]
Glass Lewis drums up rebellion against NatWest chief’s £5m payout April 28, 2022 One of the world’s biggest shareholder representation groups is urging investors in NatWest to rebel against an over £5m payout to the bank’s boss. Alison Rose, the bank’s chief, is set to net the first significant executive pay upgrade since NatWest fell back into private hands last month for the first time since it was [...]
UK high street lenders whipsaw on muddled day of trading in the City April 27, 2022 The UK’s biggest high street lenders whipsawed in the City today after giving up morning gains that initially boosted London’s top indexes. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index closed 0.53 per cent higher at 7,425.61 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, dipped [...]
Lloyds warns of looming defaults on cost of living shock April 27, 2022 The cost of living shock that is rippling throughout household finances is increasing the chances of borrowers defaulting on their debts, Britain’s biggest mortgage lender warned today. Worsening economic conditions triggered by inflation scaling to 30-year highs is likely to lead to greater financial distress among Brits, Lloyds Bank said today. The bleak assessment touches [...]
HSBC profits slide on looming inflation default wave April 26, 2022 A deterioration in borrowers’ credit worthiness caused by a historic cost of living squeeze prompted Britain’s biggest lender HSBC to set aside millions of pounds to deal with a rise in defaults. The bank, which sources a large proportion of its profits from China and Asia, banked $600m (£470m) in reserves to cope with a [...]