Sabadell to speed up cost cutting at TSB, chief executive says October 19, 2020 TSB-owner Banco Sabadell is planning to speed up cost-cutting measures at the British lender, the Spanish lender’s chief executive said. A cost reduction plan at TSB that was initially set to take three years will now be implemented over two years, said Jaime Guardiola. TSB announced plans to axe a third of its branches last [...]
Pound jumps on signs a Brexit deal can still be done October 19, 2020 The pound surged as investors bet that Brexit talks would resume – despite the UK’s tough rhetoric – and eventually result in some kind of free-trade agreement. Sterling was up 0.7 per cent by mid-morning at $1.30. It had risen 0.5 per cent against the euro to stand at €1.107. Prime Minister Boris Johnson struck [...]
Jes Staley set ‘to stay on at Barclays for two more years’ October 19, 2020 Jes Staley is reportedly set to stay on as chief executive of Barclays, despite the lender coming under pressure to replace the controversial American. The bank is not expected to announce any succession plans when it reports third quarter earnings on Friday despite activist investor Edward Bramson recently renewing his attack on Staley, The Telegraph [...]
UK can be a ‘free agent’ in financial markets after Brexit, says think tank October 19, 2020 The UK can be a significant “free agent” in the global banking and financial markets once Brexit is over, a new report claims. As negotiations continue in the next few weeks and Bois Johnson steps up his no-deal rhetoric, the UK’s banking and finance industry is in for a seismic change. A report by think [...]
Half of UK financial services staff want shift to flexible working October 19, 2020 Half of Brits working in the financial services sector want to shift to a more flexible working model after the coronavirus pandemic ends, a new survey has revealed. The outbreak of Covid-19 has sparked a major change in working habits, as stay-at-home orders have fuelled a sharp rise in home working. A survey by KPMG [...]
It’s up to the City to drive Britain’s economic recovery October 19, 2020 “The harder yards are ahead of us,” warned Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey recently, as Britain’s households and businesses brace themselves for a bitter winter in the midst of the pandemic. With the UK’s economic recovery already fragile, it is clear we need to identify the engines for growth that can weather the storm [...]
Treasury Committee demands update on bank signature forgery allegations October 15, 2020 An influential committee of MPs have demanded an update from the City watchdog and National Crime Agency on their investigation into allegations of widespread signature forgery at British banks. The Treasury Select Committee first asked the Financial Conduct Authority and NCA to investigate allegations that banks used forged signatures on an industrial scale, leading to [...]
Morgan Stanley profit jumps on strong trading performance October 15, 2020 Morgan Stanley posted a 25 per cent increase in third-quarter profit, closing a mixed Wall Street earnings season on a high. Lenders focused on trading have booked big gains for the quarter, while those with bigger retail operations have been hit harder by the coronavirus. Like fellow trading powerhouse Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley was able [...]
Banks not ready for negative interest rates, says Natwest chairman October 15, 2020 British banks are not ready to implement negative interest rates, the chairman of Natwest said today. “We’re not completely ready for it,” Howard Davies said during an interview. “There would be technical issues and many contractual issues.” The chairman said he was not in favour of negative rates being introduced, telling Bloomberg Radio there was [...]
Beware the risk to economic stability if banks are asked to shoulder the full burden of Covid-19 October 15, 2020 The economic cost of Covid-19 has been — and will continue to be — immense. As the Bank of England publishes its surveys on bank liabilities and credit conditions today, it is a reminder that much of that cost will fall on the financial sector, and within that, on the larger banks. But how that [...]