Hargreaves Lansdown users report issues as investors rush to markets April 8, 2026 The UK’s largest DIY investment platform saw users report issues in early morning trading, as investors were left in a state of fury and struggled to manage their portfolios after news of a ceasefire between the US and Iran sent stocks soaring. Users reported a spike in problems with the site upon the London Stock [...]
Barclays and Lloyds shares pop as FTSE 100 banks rally on ceasefire April 8, 2026 A whopping surge from Barclays and Lloyds led a rally across banking stocks on Wednesday morning as the City welcomed news of a ceasefire in the Middle East. Barclays soared eight per cent as trading in London kicked off, hitting highs of 438p, helping the firm claw back losses made since the start of the [...]
Close Brothers shares soar as bank ‘well positioned’ for £320m motor finance hit April 8, 2026 Close Brothers has insisted it is “well positioned” to absorb the financial hit from the City watchdog’s motor finance redress scheme but added to speculation another legal battle could be on the horizon. The FTSE 250 lender told markets on Wednesday morning that it estimates the cost of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) redress scheme [...]
Barclays’ high street U-turn exposes a divide in British banking April 8, 2026 Bank have ditched the high street over the last decade but is a comeback on the horizon? Samuel Norman explores the changes in this week’s column. In Westminster, the news cycle is never short of drama over U-turns. Subtle tweaks or direct bait-and-switches on policy are batted away by government spokespeople as mere “pivots” as [...]
Good news at last? Financial services sector rebounds at fastest rate this century April 7, 2026 Britain’s financial services sector rebounded in the first three months of this year powered by the fastest single-quarter recovery since 1996, a closely watched survey found. According to the CBI’s industry-wide survey, sentiment among financial firms improved for the first time in nearly two years, as an uptick in profitability was aided by the uncertainty [...]
Lloyds shares slump amid questions over motor finance legal battle April 2, 2026 Lloyds shares slumped this morning even as the banking giant declared it would not have to top up its provisions following the confirmation of a motor finance redress scheme. The group – which owns the UK’s largest car finance lender Black Horse – said it had “undertaken an assessment of the implications and impact” of [...]
Motor finance compensation to ‘to fire starting gun’ on banking M&A March 31, 2026 The financial watchdog’s long-awaited motor finance redress scheme is predicted to “fire the starting gun” on a wave of deals throughout the banking sector. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched the final rules for its redress programme on Monday, with the bill for lenders expected to come in at just north of £9bn, down from [...]
Lloyds and Close Brothers shares rally as banks ‘assess’ impact of motor finance redress March 31, 2026 Shares in UK motor finance lenders had a volatile opening this morning as markets digested the final rules of the financial watchdog’s industry-wide redress scheme. Lloyds Banking Group – the owner of the nation’s largest motor finance lender Black Horse – crept up over one per cent in early trading to tip over the 92p [...]
FCA slashes banks’ motor finance payouts as compensation scheme finalised March 30, 2026 City banks are set to face a more than £9bn motor finance bill after the UK’s financial watchdog laid out plans for its long-awaited motor finance redress scheme in a major U-turn after months of backlash. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed the details of its industry-wide redress scheme for the car mis-selling saga on [...]
Arbuthnot chief: High street banks’ push into wealth is no threat March 30, 2026 One of London’s oldest private banking institutions has sounded off on the influx of the British banking giants looking to grab a slice of the wealth management pie. Andrew Salmon, the boss of Arbuthnot Latham, told Morning Wire that when big bank rivals attempt to go “stratospheric” with their thresholds, it would benefit from its [...]