Higher interest rates lift Santander UK profit to £1.2bn, warns mortgage market is cooling July 26, 2023 Santander UK saw its profit rise significantly in the first half of the year, but the bank also noted that applications for mortgages had been hit by recent economic volatility. In the first half of the year pre-tax profit climbed 18 per cent to £1.2bn from £993m last year. This came thanks to a 10 [...]
Lloyds profit remains flat on last year despite boost from rising rates but guidance lifted for the year July 26, 2023 Lloyds’ profit remained flat on last year despite the benefit of rising interest rates as the bank set aside more than anticipated to cope with bad loans. In the second quarter the high street bank recorded a pre-tax profit of £1.6bn, flat with last year but slightly lower than company compiled consensus. However, the profit [...]
Small business confidence slumps amid rising rates and stubborn inflation July 26, 2023 Confidence among small businesses slumped in the second quarter as the impact of rising rates and a stalling economy hit SMEs. The Federation of Small Business’s (FSB) Small Business Index fell to minus 14.2 points in the second quarter, down 11.4 points in the first quarter of the year. The fall in confidence reflects the [...]
Three quarters of UK small businesses want to spread their deposits after SVB collapse, research shows July 26, 2023 Three quarters of small businesses in the UK are considering spreading their deposits among a range of different banks following March’s banking crisis. According to new research from payments provider Neo, 75 per cent of UK SMEs are considering diversifying their bank pool while six per cent already have. Neo surveyed 100 CFOs and treasurers [...]
London court gives green light to £2.7bn foreign exchange claim against six major banks July 25, 2023 The Court of Appeal ruled today that a £2.7bn class action claim relating to foreign exchange manipulation can proceed on an opt-out basis. The claim, brought by FX Claim UK, represents tens of thousands of participants in the foreign exchange market who suffered damages from the anticompetitive behaviour of six of the largest banks in [...]
HSBC set to reduce fixed-rate deals as hopes rise that mortgage rates will start to fall July 25, 2023 HSBC became the first high street bank to announce they will be reducing rates on a swathe of their fixed-rate products, sparking hope that mortgage rates might begin to fall. Mortgage rates have spiralled in recent months as inflation has remained stubbornly above the Bank of England’s target. Traders are now betting that the Bank [...]
Paragon Bank attracts billions of pounds in new deposits as savers seek better rates July 25, 2023 FTSE 250 challenger Paragon Bank has attracted billions in new deposits over the past year, as customers seek better rates on their savings. Paragon said its retail savings balance stood at over £12.3bn by the end of June, up 21.6 per cent on the same period last year. It noted these deposits were “predominantly fixed [...]
Italian banking giant Mediobanca backs London with £10.4m investment in startups July 25, 2023 One of Italy’s largest investment banks Mediobanca has committed €12m (£10.4m) to a joint venture with early stage investor Founders Factory to help scale fintech startups. The joint venture will build and invest in 35 fintech businesses over the next five years. Mediobanca’s investment will help underpin a new fintech venture studio accelerator, enabling innovation [...]
Credit Suisse hit with record £87m fine by UK bank regulator for Archegos failings July 24, 2023 Credit Suisse has been hit with a record £87m fine by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) for its failures relating to the collapsed hedge fund Archegos Capital. The PRA criticised Credit Suisse’s “significant failures in risk management and governance” between the start of 2020 and the end of March 2021. “This is the PRA’s highest [...]
Julius Baer records £6.4bn in new money after Credit Suisse collapse July 24, 2023 Swiss private bank Julius Baer has reaped the rewards of Credit Suisse’s collapse as it reported net inflows in the first half of the year. In the six months to June, the bank attracted CHF7.1bn (£6.4) in new money from wealthy clients, helping to bring assets under management to CHF441bn. This compared to net outflows of [...]
