Close Brothers shares fall as motor finance scandal threatens worst returns in Europe Banking Close Brothers shares tumbled on Monday morning after a damning broker downgrade warned the bank was poised to deliver the “lowest value-creation” of Europe’s top 50 banks. The FTSE 250 bank’s stock was down nearly nine per cent in early trading to 401.70p as investors scurried for the exit door. The loss came on the [...]
Awful April: brace for a wave of stealth tax rises Personal Finance April is upon us and the new tax year will usher in a range of tax hikes, despite the absence of any headline rate rises, with frozen thresholds, shrinking allowances and tighter reliefs set to hit families, workers and savers. The harsh impact will also be felt as Brits are hit with a wave of [...]
Vanquis boss defends scrapping dividend as bank swings to profit Banking The boss of Vanquis Bank has said he makes no apologies for a “conservative” approach to capital distribution as he launched a staunch defence of the group’s decision to axe its dividend for the second consecutive year. Ian McLaughlin, who took the helm at Vanquis in August 2023, said the bank’s “number one priority” was [...]
FTSE 100 defence stocks boosted by Trump’s calls for military spending hike January 8, 2026 Shares in top FTSE 100 defence stocks were boosted on Thursday morning, following President Trump’s push for a 50 per cent boost to the US military budget. BAE Systems shares shot up 6.7 per cent following the market open to highs not seen since October, while Babcock rose by more than 2.2 per cent. President [...]
Betfred rakes in £1.5bn as founders enjoy jackpot payday January 5, 2026 The billionaire brothers who founded Betfred have shared a bumper payday after the betting giant raked in almost £1.5bn. The Warrington-headquartered business has posted a turnover of £1.45bn for the 78 weeks to 30 March, 2025. New accounts filed with Companies House also show Betfred made a pre-tax profit of £188.6m over the same period. [...]
James Bond producer David Heyman pays himself £26m December 19, 2025 The new co-producer of the James Bond franchise has paid himself more than £26m after the success of his film company. David Heyman is best known for producing all eight instalments of the Harry Potter film series as well as the spin-off prequels, Fantastic Beasts. Heyman, through his company Heyday Films, has also produced the likes of [...]
Betfred billionaire brothers share huge Peninsula pay day December 15, 2025 The billionaire founders of betting giant Betfred have shared another bumper payday after the continued success of HR giant Peninsula. Founded by Peter Done in 1983, the Manchester-headquartered group provides services for the likes of the Co-op, Fred Perry, David Lloyd, Dreams and PayPal. The group is run by Peter Done and is a separate [...]
Club L London founder shares huge pay day after record profit December 10, 2025 Club L London has issued a huge pay day after profit at the fashion retailer surged to a new record, it has been revealed. Katie Randev, who leads the Manchester-headquartered business as chief executive, is in line to share a dividend of £3.7m for its latest financial year, new accounts filed with Companies House show. [...]
Vivienne Westwood’s heirs bank £35m after record profit December 1, 2025 The widower and heirs of the late Dame Vivienne Westwood have banked £35m after profit at the late fashion designer’s company surged to a new record. Vivienne Westwood passed away at the end of 2022 at the age of 81 leaving her husband Andreas Kronthaler and two children in control of her business interests. Kronthaler, [...]
How will the Budget impact your personal finances? November 27, 2025 It’s the day after Rachel Reeves’ crunch Budget, and while the Office of Budget Responsibility leak may be the main talking point, after months of speculation we finally know how personal finances will be impacted. As expected, Reeves extended income tax freezes and introduced a range of smaller taxes, in moves that are expected to [...]