Tom Frew

Service being launched in conjuction with the Bank of Ireland The UK Post Office has announced it will enter the current account market during spring 2013 in a move that is set to make it one of the largest providers of financial services on the high street. The current account, which will be provided by […]

High street retailer sees strongest quarterly sales growth in the last two years Leading UK retailer Marks and Spencer has announced its strongest sales growth in two years following a 3.1% rise during the first quarter of 2013. Figures released by the company revealed that increased food sales were the central factor for the company’s […]

Bank of Scotland data shows limited growth to Scottish economy The latest Business Monitor shows a marginal improvement in the Scottish economy. In the three months ending February 2013, 29% of firms surveyed increased turnover, 37% experienced static turnover, and just over a third (34%) experienced a decrease. This gave a net balance of -5%; […]

Research by Lloyds finds that total net household wealth up by an estimated £2.71 trillion since 2002 Total household wealth for the end of 2012 is now estimated at £7.05 trillion, while there has been an increase of £2.71 trillion over the past decade; equivalent to a rise of £86,000 per household. The value of […]

Fastest growth of UK service sector for seven months Business activity in the UK service sector continued to increase during March. Growth was solid and the strongest since last August as incoming new work also rose at an accelerated rate. Payroll numbers increased, albeit at a fractional pace, while confidence in the outlook improved to […]

Deal extends the professional relationship between the two listed companies. Under the new partnership, Aon will become the first ever partner of the Club’s training facility at Carrington. Manchester United and Aon designed a new extension at the facility to showcase how Aon “Empowers Results” for its clients and to provide the Club with greater […]

Three former directors banned from serving as company directors. A UK parliamentary report has argued that leading bank HBOS was an “accident waiting to happen”. The newly released report by the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards blamed the banks leaders, including Andy Hornby, Lord Stevenson and Sir James Crosby, for the failures that led to the bank’s 2008...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released a new report showing that participants receiving capital through the Small Business Lending Fund (SBLF) boosted lending for the seventh straight quarter.  In total, SBLF participants have increased small business lending by about $8.9 billion since the depths of the recession in 2009.  This increased lending represents […]

Bank Rate left unchanged The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee today voted to maintain the official Bank Rate paid on commercial bank reserves at 0.5%.  The Committee also voted to maintain the stock of asset purchases financed by the issuance of central bank reserves at £375 billion. The minutes of the meeting will be […]

Regulator Ofgem finds failures “at every stage of sale process” UK energy sector regulator Ofgem is to fine SSE £10.5million for numerous breaches of its obligations relating to telephone, in-store and doorstep sales activities. In a statement Ofgem said the “level of fine reflects the seriousness and duration of breaches, the likely substantial harm that […]