Banks promise to help 1m who lack an account with new offering to include debit cards and online access December 14, 2014 Britain's biggest nine bank account providers today promised to give better access to adults who did not have a current account. Roughly 1.3m Britons are unbanked for a range of reasons, including lacking a steady income. However, lacking an account makes it harder to receive a regular income, or to pay vital bills. [...]
Santander hires Baroness Vadera as UK chairman December 14, 2014 Baroness Vadera will replace Lord Burns as Santander’s UK chairman in March, the Spanish bank announced on Friday. She will join the board as joint deputy chairman in January, before taking the top post in March. Her appointment marks a complete change at the top of the UK arm of the group. Ex-chief [...]
Fed meeting might change rate schedule – The week ahead on Wall St December 14, 2014 INVESTORS will focus on a two-day Federal Reserve policy meeting amid speculation the central bankers will change their view on interest rates and the economy. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets tomorrow and on Wednesday with a statement and forecasts expected Wednesday at 7pm GMT, followed by Fed chair Janet Yellen’s press conference half [...]
Stansted owner Manchester Airport Group calls for further rail investment in south east December 9, 2014 The airport group which owns Stansted has called on the government to increase investment in rail infrastructure in the south east. Neil Thompson, chief financial officer at Manchester Airport Group, made the comments yesterday as the company reported its results for the first half of the 2014 financial year. The firm posted an eight [...]
UK manufacturing unexpectedly falls in October December 9, 2014 UK manufacturing posted a surprise fall of 0.7 per cent for October, after rising 0.6 per cent the previous month, according to figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Economists had been expecting an increase of 0.2 per cent in industrial and manufacturing output for October. The slump was driven primarily by a 4.5 [...]
Post Office criticised by MPs for unfairly blaming others over loss of hundreds of thousands of pounds December 9, 2014 More than 140 MPs have withdrawn their support for a mediation scheme set up by the Post Office, following an influx of complaints that the mail service unfairly blamed sub-postmasters for losing hundreds of thousands of pounds of company money. For several years, sub-postmasters across the country have claimed that they are often used [...]
Pod only knows: Great storytelling podcasts, from Sarah Koenig’s Serial to Jonathan Goldstein’s WireTap December 8, 2014 Fearing the end of Serial? Don’t worry, there are plenty other great storytelling podcasts out there Thanks to Sarah Koenig, podcasts are cool again. Her unearthing of a fifteen year old murder case involving three teenagers, a mobile phone and a host of hazy details has proved an unlikely talking point for people all over [...]
ICAP merges its currency and bond trading platforms December 4, 2014 ICAP, the world's largest interdealer broker, has said it will combine its currency trading platform EBS and its bond trading platform BrokerTec. The group has been hit by lower market volatility levels and increased regulation since the 2008 financial crisis, scuppering the flow of business from its banking clients in recent times. It now wants to [...]
Aberdeen Asset Management chief executive Martin Gilbert cashes in December 4, 2014 Aberdeen Asset Management executive directors including chief executive Martin Gilbert and deputy chief executive Andrew Laing have cashed in on the company's highest share price in six months by selling off just over three million shares. Gilbert's sale of 1.3m shares at 461p netted him just over £6m, although he still holds £24m of shares. [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: George Osborne hits banks to help home buyers December 3, 2014 Chancellor plays Robin Hood by grabbing from the wealthy to fund stamp duty sweetener for those lower down property ladder. THE UK ECONOMIC OUTLOOK ● The UK’s economic growth has outperformed the March forecast of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), giving Britain the fastest growth rate in the G7. ● Unemployment has fallen [...]