RBS could be ordered to beef up new lender Williams and Glyn May 28, 2015 George Osborne yesterday asked the competition authorities to look into the RBS spin-off Williams and Glyn to make sure it is big enough to challenge other banks in the market. Bailed-out giant RBS has to carve the unit out of its existing branch and customer network, under terms imposed by the European Commission at the [...]
Financial challengers Zopa and Metro Bank join forces to bring peer-to-peer lending and high street banking together May 19, 2015 Peer-to-peer lender Zopa has teamed up with challenger bank Metro Bank to lend funds through the latter's marketplace. The deal marks the first of its kind in the UK as Metro Bank, already lending funds to Zopa's consumer borrowers, recognises peer-to-peer (P2P) lending as a new asset class. Zopa's chief executive Giles Andrews described it [...]
Aldermore ramps up the lending after IPO as challenger bank set to meet investor expectations May 14, 2015 Challenger bank Aldermore reported a sustained surge in lending in the first quarter of the year, continuing to rack up the growth after going public in March. Net lending increased seven per cent in the three-month period to hit £5.1bn, with organic loan origination coming in at £568m, up nine per cent on same period of [...]
Virgin Money eats up mortgage market share as lending rises May 1, 2015 The figures Virgin Money delivered a rise in mortgage lending and ate up a larger chunk of market share during the first quarter, cementing its position as one of the UK's fastest growing challenger banks. The lender said it enjoyed a 34 per cent rise in gross mortgage lending to £1.6bn at a time when [...]
TSB boss Paul Pester eyes up acquiring other challenger banks April 30, 2015 TSB, the self-styled challenger bank spun-off from Lloyds last year, could gobble up its competition if the bank's boss has his way. Paul Pester wants to "take on the big guys" and would consider buying up other challenger banks to make that happen. "We are Britain's biggest challenger bank, but we want to really take [...]
RBS spin-off Williams & Glyn loses chief executive John Maltby ahead of IPO April 28, 2015 Williams & Glyn, the challenger bank being carved out from RBS as a condition of the latter's bailout during the financial crisis, has lost its chief executive before it has even launched. John Maltby will be replaced by Jim Brown, currently chief executive of Ulster Bank. Maltby will take up his former role [...]
Challenger bank Cambridge and Counties swings to profit in just its second year trading April 27, 2015 Challenger bank Cambridge and Counties delivered a pre-tax profit of £4.1m in 2014, compared to a loss of £99,000 when it was set up in the previous year. It was established by the University of Cambridge’s Trinity Hall and Cambridgeshire Local Government Pension Fund, using their large asset base to set up a small business-focused lender. Its [...]
Metro Bank is the latest challenger bank to eye London float April 19, 2015 The battle between the "big four" high street lenders and the challengers banks just ratcheted up a notch. New kid on the block Metro Bank is eyeing a £1bn initial public offering on the London stockmarket next year, according to the Telegraph. This comes just five years after it emerged to shake-up Britain's banking landscape. [...]
Billionaire backers Wilbur Ross and Stanhope Investments cut Virgin Money stake April 14, 2015 Billionaire investors Wilbur Ross and Stanhope Investments last night cut their stake in high street bank Virgin Money by selling $354m (£240m) of shares in the Richard Branson-backed venture. The bank, which floated last November by raising £500m, valuing the business at £1.25bn, is co-owned by US investor Ross and Abu Dhabi-based fund Stanhope alongside [...]
Atom Bank raising £75m before launch April 8, 2015 Atom Bank is raising £75m from investors as it prepares to gain its full licence and launch this year. The Durham-based challenger bank plans to be the first fully digital lender, operating predominantly via mobile apps. The licensing process runs in two stages, allowing banks to gain partial authorisation, helping it to hire more staff [...]