Barclays, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Lloyds and RBS credit ratings slashed as states promise no more bailouts February 3, 2015 Britain’s biggest banks saw their credit ratings chopped back last night by Standard and Poor’s, as the agency believes the government is serious in its promise to let bad banks fail. While ratings are normally cut when a firm performs poorly, in this case the move reflects the shift in risk from the taxpayer and [...]
Lloyds buys Birmingham’s NEC for £307m January 16, 2015 Brummie institution the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) has been sold along with its parent company to LDC, the investment arm of Lloyds Banking Group, in a deal valuing it at £307m. As well as a 125-year lease on the NEC itself, the deal also includes the Genting (formerly known as the LG) Arena and 25-year [...]
GQ includes Lloyds chief Antonio Horta-Osorio and Cheesegrater architect Richard Rogers on 2015 best-dressed businessmen list January 8, 2015 We've always known that suave Portuguese Lloyds chief, Antonio Horta-Osorio was a bit of a looker and a snappy dresser. Well, now we’ve all been proven correct by that bastion of style, men’s glossy GQ – it has voted him as the sixth best-dressed man in business. “He shines among his British peers as the [...]
Lloyds shares sale: Morgan Stanley takes £1 fee for bank sell-off December 17, 2014 The government is to drip-feed Lloyds shares to the market over the coming six months, cutting its stake in the bailed-out bank bit-by-bit ahead of the election. As much as £3bn of shares could be sold under the scheme. The investment bankers who are handling the sale could normally expect to make millions of pounds from [...]
Chancellor George Osborne confirms government will sell more Lloyds shares December 17, 2014 The chancellor has announced the government will sell more shares in Lloyds Banking Group within the next six months. The sale, to be managed by investment bank Morgan Stanley, will help the government raise up to £2bn, UK Financial Investments (UKFI), the body which manages the government's investments, confirmed. Presently it owns around 17.8bn ordinary [...]
Co-op fails Bank of England stress test, RBS and Lloyds at risk December 16, 2014 The Co-operative Bank has failed the Bank of England’s (BoE) stringent new stress test, while Lloyds and RBS would be at risk in a new economic crisis. The prudential regulation authority (PRA) tested seven banks and building society Nationwide to see how they would handle a financial meltdown of epic proportions. While Lloyds, Standard Chartered, [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: Shares in RBS, Lloyds, HSBC and Barclays fall as chancellor outlines profit measures December 3, 2014 Shares in UK banks dropped in early afternoon trading as George Osborne outlined measures to limit the amount of profit lenders can offset by losses. In his Autumn Statement speech, Osborne said he would limit offests to 50 per cent, and delay relief on bad debts, which he added will raise £4bn for the Treasury [...]
Who are Europe’s best paid bank CEOs? Four UK banks HSBC, Lloyds and RBS and Standard Chartered made the ranking November 11, 2014 Given the boardroom battles that have taken place over recent years, it's hardly surprising – but a new ranking of last year's 15 best-paid European bank bosses shows UK bankers are among the most highly-paid in Europe. British banks HSBC and Lloyds Banking Group took second and third places in the ranking, compiled by business [...]
Challenger banks Virgin Money and Yorkshire Building Society call for RBS and Lloyds to be split up November 10, 2014 Small lenders are calling on the competition watchdog to look at breaking up RBS and Lloyds, arguing the market is too focused on giant players. The Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) and Virgin Money have both written to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to push for the big banks to carve out more new challengers from [...]
Lloyds Banking Group may sell Avant Homes for £170m November 3, 2014 Building firm Avant Homes is considering an offer from a consortium of investment companies made up of Alchemy Partners, Angelo Gordon and Avenue Capital, a source close to the discussions has confirmed. All three of the bidding companies are focused on making distressed investments. Avant is being sold by Lloyds Banking Group, with KPMG advising [...]