Search

Investors should not assume that a buoyant first-quarter heralds good times ahead, says Peter Thal Larson Increased profits. Buoyant levels of activity. Soaring share prices. Anyone perusing the first-quarter results [...]

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Money has revived its interest in a potential purchase of the healthiest parts of Northern Rock, the mortgage lender it tried to buy last year before [...]

Small businesses Essex County Council launched its own banking operation yesterday with a fanfare of publicity and claims of a radical new approach to finance. However, credit-starved Essex entrepreneurs searching [...]

Banks Barclays promised to increase loans to customers by [pounds sterling]11bn ($16bn) this year at the start of the UK bank's annual meeting, where shareholders registered their disapproval with the [...]

Banks 16% oppose Agius reappointment Barclays promised to increase loans to customers by [pounds sterling]11bn this year at the start of the bank's annual meeting, where shareholders registered their disapproval [...]

Regulation Calls to separate retail from investment banking will be dismissed by the government when it sets out its overhaul of financial regulation in the next few months. Documents published [...]

News analysis Bankers are leaving large groups to go it alone, write Peter Thal Larsen and Jonathan Wheatley Three years ago, Andre Esteves hailed the benefits of being part of [...]

[pounds sterling]200bn government bond issue needed Figure is over [pounds sterling]50bn higher than expected Alistair Darling will be forced to issue more than [pounds sterling]200bn worth of government bonds this [...]

banks Pactual sold back to founders for $2.5bn Bank moves to shrink investment banking UBS's new management took a big step towards reversing the Swiss bank's expansion during the boom [...]

banks Pactual sold back to founders for $2.5bn Bank moves to shrink investment banking UBS's new management took a big step towards reversing the Swiss bank's expansion during the boom [...]

banks Pactual to be sold back to founders Move trims bank's balance sheet UBS's new management yesterday took a first big step to trimming the balance sheet and redeploying capital [...]

CVC takes on high debt for iShares Biggest UK private equity deal in years On the surface, CVC Capital Partners' acquisition of iShares seems a throwback to the leveraged buy-out [...]

Quick sale might have displeased investors CVC keen to float $4.2bn acquisition Barclays is likely to face more tough questions from shareholders over its decision to sell iShares after the [...]

BANKS When John Varley and Marcus Agius take the stage at Barclays' annual general meeting in a fortnight, the chief executive and chairman of the UK banking group will be [...]

News analysis Despite a recent revival in fortunes it is probably still too soon for Barclays to declare victory, writes Peter Thal Larsen When John Varley and Marcus Agius take [...]

BANKS When John Varley and Marcus Agius take the stage at Barclays' annual general meeting in a fortnight, the chief executive and chairman of the UK banking group will be [...]

Brian Lenihan, Ireland's finance minister, is to embark on a whistlestop tour of European capitals in an effort to regain the confidence of global investors. The government's plans to set [...]

BANKS News analysis It is still too early to celebrate after completion of the rights issue, says Peter Thal Larsen HSBC's record rights issue was formally completed yesterday with the [...]

Over $40bn could be raised by the year end Investors are braced for a wave of new capital raisings, following the completion of HSBC's giant [pounds sterling]12.5bn rights issue. The [...]

banks News analysis Credit is due for the completion of the bank's offering but there are still challenges, writes Peter Thal Larsen HSBC's record rights issue was formally completed yesterday [...]

Remaining 3% sold to market investors Way clear for more groups to raise capital HSBC completed its record [pounds sterling]12.5bn ($18.4bn) rights issue yesterday when the banking group sold the [...]

HBOS had pledged assets worth as much as [pounds sterling]90bn to the Bank of England's special liquidity scheme by the end of last year, it disclosed yesterday, writes Peter Thal [...]

British charities that lost money due to the collapse of Iceland's banking system should be compensated by the government, an influential House of Commons committee has concluded. However, the Treasury [...]

Barclays is preparing to commit itself to billions of pounds of additional lending to UK businesses and homeowners despite its decision not to seek government protection for its toxic assets. [...]

FSB agenda Central banks and regulators are to draw up detailed plans for dealing with large international banks that get into trouble. The move is part of efforts to limit [...]

Gordon Brown yesterday promised that bankers would no longer be rewarded for failure. But the rules on compensation agreed by international regulators are unlikely to satisfy public demands for an [...]

Gordon Brown yesterday promised that bankers would no longer be rewarded for failure. But the rules on compensation agreed by international regulators are unlikely to satisfy public demands for an [...]

Barclays has started exclusive negotiations with CVC Capital Partners, the private equity group, to sell the exchange traded funds business of its iShares subsidiary in a deal expected to be [...]

Less risky, less profitable, and probably a lot smaller - that is the prognosis for the world's banks as they attempt to rebound from the worst financial crisis of the [...]

Banks Barclays has entered exclusive negotiations with CVC Capital Partners, the private equity group, to sell the exchange traded funds business of its iShares subsidiary in a transaction worth about [...]

T he Excel centre, a windswept complex deep in London's Docklands, is best known as the venue for an annual boat show. On Thursday it is instead the destination for [...]

FSA close to finishing trawl through books Sale of iShares would bring in [pounds sterling]4.5bn Barclays' loan book is in the final stages of an extreme stress test by City [...]

FSA close to finishing trawl through books Regulator signals no need for boost to funds Barclays' loan book is in the final stages of an extreme stress test by City [...]

Insurer makes its first cut to conserve capital Heavy losses prompt change of priorities Legal & General yesterday made the first dividend cut in its history in an attempt to [...]

Bankers from around the world yesterday urged Gordon Brown to push for a common set of accounting rules and global regulatory norms when he hosts the G20 economic summit in [...]

Labour last night hit back at the 'hypocrisy' of the Conservatives for criticising offshore tax havens despite Ken Clarke's recent directorship of a hedge fund whose main fund was based [...]

News analysis Use of private sector to help clean up banks was not considered, write George Parker and Peter Thal Larsen Gordon Brown is a long-time advocate of 'public-private partnerships', [...]

T he worst financial crisis since the second world war has not only forced governments across the western world to step in and rescue giant institutions. Amid the turmoil, there [...]

BANKS Andy Hornby, former chief executive of HBOS, has given up additional pension payments worth hundreds of thousands of pounds in an effort to escape a public hounding similar to [...]

Goldman Sachs could have claimed a [pounds sterling]4m 'success fee' for its advice to the Treasury on Northern Rock even though the failing mortgage bank was nationalised, writes Peter Thal [...]

FSA chairman tries to seize initiative Report suggests global responses Britain's main financial regulator yesterday launched a bold attempt to seize the initiative in the debate over the future of [...]

FSA set to curb banks' excessive risk taking Brown to urge EU to follow UK's principles The City watchdog announced a sweeping overhaul of the UK's financial regulatory regime yesterday, [...]

News analysis Bank aims to defuse political pressure on its tax planning, write Vanessa Houlder and Peter Thal Larsen Barclays has stepped up its defence of its structured finance operations, [...]

News analysis The FSA was at the forefront of light regulation. Now it is rewriting the rules, says Peter Thal Larsen Lord Turner's report on the response to the global [...]

News analysis Lord Turner's review will only succeed if other countries follow his lead, says Peter Thal Larsen Lord Turner's report on the response to the global banking crisis represents [...]

A break with the UK's light-touch style of financial regulation was made yesterday by the City of London watchog as it unveiled reforms aimed at preventing a repeat of the [...]

Scrutiny of Barclays' tax operations could not come at a worse time for Roger Jenkins. The high-flying Scottish investment banker is officially chairman of Barclays Capital's investment banking and investment [...]

'Buoyant' activity in corporate banking Chairman flags up other 'positives' Royal Bank of Scotland has benefited from 'buoyant' corporate banking activity in its key markets since the turn of the [...]

The Swedish model A 1992 bail-out is being held up in the west as offering lessons for the current crisis - but what Stockholm put together then was not all [...]

Hopes that bank may avoid state scheme Possible sale of ETFs division to consortium Barclays shares soared yesterday amid hopes that the bank could escape UK government intervention by selling [...]