Money Marketing
17 May 2006

  • 26% Of brokers will not offer home packs

    18 May 2006

    A quarter of mortgage brokers have no plans to provide home information packs to their clients, according to a survey by the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries.Its research shows 88 per cent of brokers believe that home sellers will approach estate agents first to arrange their Hips.Twenty-six per cent say they will not offer access to Hips, 7 per cent will produce Hips in-house, 46 per cent will white-label Hips, 16 per cent plan to establish ties with estate agents and ...

  • A tight turn

    18 May 2006

    Millfield's disclosure that its talks with a buyer have fallen through and that it has now brought in turn-round consultants poses the questions of why did the deal fail and can the consultants revive the business?

  • A&L takeover draws closer after suitor confirms interest

    22 May 2006

    French bank Cr?t Agricole has confirmed it is considering a takeover bid for Alliance & Leicester.

  • A&M warning to advisers

    18 May 2006

    IFAs could face misselling claims if they fail to advise clients to amend trusts during the Chancellor's two-year grace period, warns Fishburns Solicitors.Speaking at the Fishburns financial advice seminar in London last week, solicitor Harriet Quiney said that Gordon Brown's recent attack on accumulation and maintenance trusts creates significant legal risks for solicitors, accountants and advisers.She said that the introduction of periodic and exit charges on existing trusts ...

  • ABI needs a sense of balance

    18 May 2006

    The Association of British Insurers believes everything is hunky dory with the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

  • ABI wants to leave the levy to advisers

    18 May 2006

    They should think again about watching advisers being wiped out'

  • Action group bid in Sesame file fight

    18 May 2006

    A former Sesame member is looking to set up an ex-members' action group after the network refused him access to his client files to help him fight a complaint.Hartlepool-based Independent Financial Services principal Jim Gillespie is calling on former and retired members to band together and pressure Sesame into allowing them to access their client files.This comes after he received a letter from the network asking for 1,428.62 for a complaint it upheld without granting him ...

  • A-Day boost for Aegon pension business

    18 May 2006

    Aegon saw life and pension sales surge by more than a half in the first quarter, driven by the A-Day effect.The firm saw life and pension sales rise by 51 per cent from 144m to 217m on the same period last year.Aegon says the restructuring of the business in October last year into two arms - Aegon Individual and Aegon Corporate - has brought greater focus and the results of that are now starting to filter through.There was also sustained growth in non-pension areas, which ...

  • Adviser concerns at 'MBA in a day'

    18 May 2006

    CII sets up course to 'challenge delegates intellectually and strengthen skills'

  • Advisers told of potential flaws in Islamic loans

    18 May 2006

    Advisers who offer Islamic mortgages are being warned of potential flaws compared with standard mortgages.Interest in Islamic mortgages to service the estimated 1.6 million Muslims in the UK is expec-ted to rise after the FSA last month opened a consultation on the regulation of home-purchase plans, as they are also known. The regulations are expected to come into force in spring next year alongside home-reversion plans.But a leading compliance consultant is warning of a basic ...

  • Aifa rejects product-based levy for FSCS

    18 May 2006

    Aifa deputy director Fay Goddard has dismissed advisers' calls for a product-based levy to fund the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.During a debate led by FSCS chief executive Loretta Minghella at Money Marketing Live earlier this month, several advisers argued that consumers should have to pay for the scheme through small additional charges on products.Minghella argued that the system would be too complicated to administer and customers could end up paying multiple levies. ...

  • B&B returns to tied model

    17 May 2006

    Bradford & Bingley is returning to a tied model as it rejects its mortgage panel of 18 lenders.

  • Bestinsurance launches MPPI product for FTBs

    19 May 2006

    www.bestinsurance.co.uk has launched a new age-rated mortgage payment protection insurance for first-time buyers.

  • BM Solutions set for record month

    17 May 2006

    BM Solutions is on course to achieve a record month of applications. BM says it received its highest number of applications ever submitted in a 24 hour period on May 9 at 145m. The lender says it is on target to record 1bn of applications this month.

  • BM Solutions set for record month

    18 May 2006

    BM Solutions is on course to achieve a record month of applications. The firm says it received its highest number of applications ever submitted in a 24-hour period on May 9 at 145m. The lender says it is on target to record 1bn of applications this month.

  • Body armour has safety covered

    18 May 2006

    It seems that the IFA Defence Union lawyer Andrew Kerr is a man of many talents. His company, England’s Safety Equipment, has just been awarded the Queen’s Award for innovation for inventing the inflatable body armour system. The IBAS, pictured left with Kerr, can apparently withstand armour-piercing fire from an AK47, prevent a soldier from drowning and, of course, is completely FSA and FOS proof.

  • Bonus operandi

    18 May 2006

    Chasing commission has blinded the industry to its ethical responsibilities

  • Brokers parry CML attack

    18 May 2006

    Brokers have hit back after the Council of Mortgage Lenders accused them of being the source of abuses in the market.In its 2005 annual report, the CML makes a number of references to lenders being "exonerated" by the FSA while claiming that brokers have drawn heavy criticism from the regulator.It points out that brokers were criticised after mystery shopping exercises into the self-cert market while lenders "largely escaped criticism" after the FSA's work on payment protection ...

  • Canada Life takes on Equitable annuities

    18 May 2006

    Equitable Life is set to offload its 4.6bn book of non-profit pension annuities to Canada Life as part of its ongoing restructuring.No money will change hands but Canada Life will take over responsibility for future pension payments on the 130,000 policies that are being transferred. Policyholders' payments will be unaffected.Canada Life will reinsure Equitable's non-profit pension annuity liabilities from January next year until the transfer goes through. The transfer, classed ...

  • Cazalet claims that life firms are recycling cash

    18 May 2006

    The FSA must wake up to the fact that current industry reporting requirements are not based in reality, according to independent consultant Ned Cazalet.Cazalet warned the IEA annual conference last week that product providers are not disclosing real profits as their new business numbers in life and pensions are based on money being recycled around the industry.Data collated by Cazalet Consulting shows that life offices spent 21bn on commission in the last three years, excluding ...

  • Charged atmosphere

    18 May 2006

    In the sixth part of a series on the IFA Guide to Working With Accountants and Solicitors, Sifa managing director Ian Muirhead looks at building fee-based client relationships

  • Childs joins Eden Financial's senior team

    23 May 2006

    Eden Financial has appointed Curtis Childs as its new director responsible for private clients and wealth management.Childs joins from Dryden Wealth management, formerly Prudential-Bache International, where he has held a variety of roles, and has 16 years of investment management experience. Eden Financial's chief executive David Bearman, says: "This is a major investment in our medium-term corporate strategy of developing a specialised offering to private clients."

  • Choice cuts

    18 May 2006

    Unless MPPI premiums are cut, big losses on mortgages will be inevitable

  • Christows wary over growing correlation

    18 May 2006

    The increasing correlation between asset classes could hit fund of funds managers using a multi-asset approach if markets fall, warns Christows.

  • Close joins move into special sits

    18 May 2006

    Close Fund Management is the latest manager to enter the special situations fray with the launch of a concentrated UK smaller companies portfolio.Close special situations will be managed by Justin Jordan and invest in between 35 and 45 Aim-quoted and fully listed small-cap firms.The move follows announcements by Norwich Union and Dalton Strategic Partnership that they are to introduce similar vehicles next month.Interest in special situations funds has spiralled since Fidelity ...

  • Close to grow fund admin and trust businesses

    23 May 2006

    Close Private Bank is preparing for aggressive expansion of its fund administration and trust businesses.

  • CML reports record lending figures for April

    19 May 2006

    Gross mortgage lending stood at 25.1bn last month, the highest April lending figure on record, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

  • Cob handbook to take Mifid style

    17 May 2006

    Mifid will result in legalistic and prescriptive rules, despite the FSA’s bid for a more principles based and simplified Cob handbook. This is because the FSA says it will attempt to use Mifid language in the new handbook, published next year, to avoid gold plating.

  • Cob handbook to take Mifid style

    18 May 2006

    Mifid could result in legalistic and prescriptive rules, despite the FSA's bid for a more principle-based and simplified Cob handbook. The FSA says it will try to use Mifid language in the new handbook, published next year, to avoid gold-plating.

  • Commercial GI deal for Bankhall

    18 May 2006

    Bankhall has sold its commercial general insurance arm UKGI to Total Broker Solutions to focus on its core markets of directly regulated mortgage, life, pensions and investment.The agreement brings a reciprocal agreement for TBS to provide Bankhall members with commercial GI services while TBS's 350 brokers will get compliance support from Bankhall.Head of Bankhall GI Mike Williams will move to TBS with a small number of support staff.TBS chief executive and former CII president ...

  • Correspondent's week

    18 May 2006

    This week by personal finance editor of The Scotsman Jennifer Hill

  • Curry favour

    18 May 2006

    Hats off to Lansons Public Relations executive Jeena Nadarajan when asking a stroppy editor about his dietary requirements on behalf of a client and getting email complaints about wild mushroom in mushroom gratin.She replied: "If I was the cook, you would all get vegetable samosa, fish cutlet and a variety of chutneys, masala dosa with sambar, prawn biriyani and an assortment of sweets."MM editorial is angling for an invite chez Nadarajan (there are only 14 of us and we will ...

  • De-linked MPPI product launched by Charcol

    22 May 2006

    A de-linked mortgage payment protection insurance product has been launched by MPPI specialist Genworth Financial and broker John Charcol.

  • Dip into the profit stream

    18 May 2006

    Andy Cherkas, a principal in the Tillinghast business of Towers Perrin, outlines three possibilities for achieving a sustainable profit stream

  • Direct buyers face IHT blow

    18 May 2006

    Consumers who have bought protection products direct and then placed them in trust are being warned that they could face a future inheritance tax hit following the Budget changes.Sesame head of propositions and commercial development Alastair Conway says there is a very high likelihood that these consumers will need advice following the Chancellor's attack on trusts.He warns that any cost savings could be stripped away for people who now seek advice but those who do not get ...

  • Easter aiming to mend firm's 'broken model'

    18 May 2006

    New Millfield chief executive Alan Easter says his priorities are to create financial stability for the company and clar-ify its role in the market.Easter, who took over last week, is in discussions with the company's backers about restructuring its debt and raising money to address its 1.5m capital adequacy shortfall.Millfield brought in turnround consultants this month to advise on this and help Easter and the board of directors reshape the firm's business model to make it ...

  • Edward Jones finds the adviser formula

    18 May 2006

    'We are specifically attracting people with experience in the industry'

  • Flight on A-list for safe seat

    18 May 2006

    IFA champion and former Conservative vice-chairman Howard Flight is on the A-list of Tory candidates to fight safe seats at the next general election, according to sources close to the party.

  • Flight on A-list for safe seat

    17 May 2006

    IFA champion and former Conservative vice-chairman Howard Flight is on the A-list of Tory candidates to fight safe seats at the next general election, according to sources close to the Party.

  • Focus offers delivery of The Matrix

    23 May 2006

    Focus Business Solutions has announced the delivery of a new point of sale system for Assurant Solutions to enable lenders and brokers to sell its new mortgage protection product The Matrix.The Matrix offers access to over 250,000 possible policy combinations and was launched in April 2006.Focus director of mortgage solutions Manjit Rana says: “Our business relationship with Assurant Solutions is particularly significant for Focus in moving our technology solutions into new market ...

  • FSA admits misleading ex-IFA on cut-off point for claims

    18 May 2006

    The FSA has been forced to apologise after its contact centre mistakenly informed a former IFA that there was a 15-year cut-off point on complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service.Brian Lentz, formerly a principal at IFA firm Portfolio, was trying to seek clarity on FOS jurisdiction from the FSA's contact centre. He wanted to know whether the 15-year time limit specified in the 1980 Limitation Act also applied to complaints to the FOS.In a letter to Lentz, a member of the ...

  • FSA clashes with insurers over stakeholder failings

    18 May 2006

    Tiner blames lack of industry engagement for the low take-up of stakeholder products

  • FSA says exploit Mifid opportunities

    18 May 2006

    FSA managing director Hector Sants says the cost of implementing the EU Mifid directive will only be worthwhile if firms exploit the opportunities provided by the directive such as cross-border trade.

  • FSA says exploit Mifid opportunities

    17 May 2006

    The costs of implementing the EU Mifid directive will only be worthwhile if firms exploit the opportunities provided by the directive, such as cross border trade, says FSA managing director Hector Sants.

  • FTSE back below 6,000 as concerns rise over dollar

    18 May 2006

    The FTSE 100 suffered its worst one-day drop in three years on Friday, losing 2.2 per cent to fall by nearly 130 points to 5,912.The decline mirrored falls in the US, Europe and Far East following uncertainty over US interest rates, a weak dollar and concerns over commodity prices.The losses have been exacerbated by UK directors rushing to sell share options and take profits. UK directors have sold 566m of shares over the last three months while buying just 207m.Hargreaves ...

  • Fund firms braced for correction

    18 May 2006

    Miton Optimal and Insinger de Beaufort are becoming increasingly cautious on emerging markets and commodities amid expectations of a short-term correction.

  • FundsNetwork goes on the road

    17 May 2006

    FundsNetwork’ latest series of nationwide user forums will take place in June featuring Fidelity, Henderson and Jupiter. The 18-venue roadshow will include presentations discussing asset allocation strategy, property investment and income generation in a low yield environment.

  • FundsNetwork goes on the road

    18 May 2006

    FundsNetwork's latest series of user forums will take place in June featuring Fidelity, Henderson and Jupiter. The 18-venue roadshow will include presentations on asset allocation, property investment and income generation in a low-yield environment.

  • Gartmore MBO announcement imminent

    23 May 2006

    Gartmore is likely to announce the terms of the private equity-backed management buy out of the investment house "either later today or early tomorrow morning" according to a company spokesman.

  • Get planning up to par

    18 May 2006

    The IFP runs one non-financial planning-related event in its calendar. The annual golf day, sponsored by Old Mutual, took place recently and attrac-ted 60 people.

  • Give me industrial strength

    18 May 2006

    More horror stories regarding the terrible taste in music that has long infected many in the financial services industry - and this time it's serious. The Diary believes it is its duty to reveal the trio, who are all die-hard fans of German industrial thrash metal band Rammstein (pictured above). They are Scottish Life consultant Dirk Schmidt, IFA Andy Peters and Standard Life consultant Paul Catt-Camfield. There really is no excuse, lads."The best part of my holiday was that I drove ...

  • Half of FTBs pay stamp duty

    18 May 2006

    Only half of first-time buyers avoid paying stamp duty despite the threshold being more than doubled over the last two Budgets.The Council of Mortgage Lenders found that 50 per cent of first-time buyers and 80 per cent of all people moving pay stamp duty despite Chancellor Gordon Brown raising the threshold from 60,000 to 120,000 in the 2005 Budget and by a further 5,000 to 125,000 this year.In April 2005, when the CML started collecting stamp duty data, the number of first-time ...

  • High-earners could see S2P cash slashed

    18 May 2006

    Aegon says the introduction of Lord Turner's NPSS proposals could see benefits from the state second pension almost halve for mid to high-earners.Its research reveals higher-earners could see S2P benefits cut by up to 50 a week.Turner wants S2P to be downgraded, removing the earnings' link and just paying a flat-rate benefit.Aegon head of business regulation Steven Cameron says it is likely the Government would use National Insurance contributions to S2P to subsidise some ...

  • Hips will be bad for market, says BSA

    18 May 2006

    Home Information Packs will have a negative impact on the housing market and should be voluntary, says the Building Societies Association.

  • Home-grown talent

    18 May 2006

    The success story behind Buckles' graduate recruitment scheme

  • IFA firm Montpelier doubles stake in Millfield

    18 May 2006

    International IFA firm Montpelier has emerged as a potential white knight for Millfield after it doubled its shareholding in the firm to 10 per cent.Montpelier chief executive David Yelloly says he wants to have talks with Millfield's board and is confident Montpelier could provide a substantial cash injection and offer a new home to its advisers.Montpelier, which has 24 IFAs in the UK and 216 staff overall internationally, bought tax consultancy MTM Group last June in a bid ...

  • IFS says advisers getting appetite for equity release

    18 May 2006

    The Institute of Financial Services says there are signs that advisers are showing an appetite for equity release despite fears in the industry of a shortage of brokers.

  • Infocomp wraps up deal

    18 May 2006

    Wrap software provider Infocomp is in talks with a number of life and pension providers, fund management firms and bancassurers as it looks to deliver its proposition to the market.Chief executive Rob DeDominicis says after two years work the Australian firm's platform has been fully adapted for the UK market and it is close to announcing its first white-label deal with a big provider that does not have a wrap presence.DeDominicis says it is in discussions with a range of other ...

  • Into the mix

    18 May 2006

    Skandia's strategy for attracting and retaining the best people

  • Invesco Perpetual bolsters Asian equities team

    19 May 2006

    William Lam has been appointed to join Invesco Perpetual's Henley-based Asian equities team.Lam, who joins the team on May 22, will help to selectstocks from Taiwan and Korea across all funds managed by the Asian team.Lam was formerly an analyst at Orbis Investment Advisory, specialising in the global telecoms and technology sectors.

  • Investment View: Wealth of tactics

    18 May 2006

    I have often referred to the thankless task of being an investment manager.

  • Is there nothing...

    18 May 2006

    Is there nothing Ray Boulger, senior technical director at John Charcol, is not prepared for - a change in mortgage rates, FSA regulation or indeed finding that you have turned up in the wrong attire for a dinner. A slight oversight saw Boulger, admittedly at his second awards' dinner in two days, sporting dinner jacket and bow tie but only for the opening champagne reception. The superman of mortgage intermediaries was spotted at dinner in lounge suit and tie in a swift change that ...

  • Jelley claims victory as Revenue signals U-turn on IHT reform

    18 May 2006

    The arbitrary 10-year periodic charge on discounted gift trusts introduced by the Chancellor in this year's Budget looks set to be removed.Skandia head of tax and financial planning Colin Jelley says he has received verbal confirmation from the Revenue.He describes this as a significant victory for the industry, which has been lobbying for this since the Chancellor's overhaul of the inheritance tax rules in March.He says the Revenue has confirmed that the value of the transfer ...

  • Just say no

    18 May 2006

    Why vote for demutualisation when Standard Life is thriving again?

  • Key plans move into IHT and annuities

    18 May 2006

    Key Retirement Solutions is planning to buy its way into theinheritance tax planning and annuity markets funded by private equity group Cabot Square, which has bought a 60 per cent stake in the firm.Key is looking for acquisitions to sit alongside its existing equity-release business, which it plans to grow by recruiting 40 new advisers this year.It enquired about buying Berkeley Berry Birch's national IFA business Weston in December but BBB executives failed to respond to its ...

  • Labour MP calls for repo crackdown on lenders

    18 May 2006

    Questionable and somewhat arbitrary behaviour of lenders means one regulator should cover secured loans'

  • Leaked white paper reveals two admin alternatives for NPSS

    22 May 2006

    The Government will be proposing two alternatives to the administration of NPSS according to leaked details from the white paper on pension reform.

  • Learning curve

    18 May 2006

    IFS head of faculty financial regulation Mark Roberts says the Open University was ahead of its time with its idea of remote learning. Now IFAs can make use of the internet to achieve the same ends with continuing professional development

  • Leeds Building Society launches three year base rate tracker

    17 May 2006

    Leeds Building Society has launched a three year base rate tracker mortgage which is currently only 4.5 per cent, allows unlimited capital repayments without penalty and has no higher lending charge.

  • Lehman aims to lead non-standard market

    18 May 2006

    Lehman Brothers has unveiled plans to challenge HBOS in non-conforming mortgages after merging two subsidiaries to create a non-standard giant.The firm wants to be market leader in the non-standard sector and claims it is already number three after amalgamating Preferred and SPML's operations.It says London Mortgage Company, which it recently acquired, could join the fold and has not ruled out more acquisitions. Each of the brands will be maintained with separate salesforces ...

  • Lighthouse sets up a four-day CFP crash course

    18 May 2006

    Lighthouse is to offer its advisers a four-day crash course to become certified financial planners.The firm, which has over 500 advisers, plans to provide the service from September across its four brands as a way of increasing professionalism among its members.

  • Living the dream

    18 May 2006

    I spent last Easter week in Paris with my wife Andrea celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary - that is three years less than I have been wedded to the financial services industry. While I can claim that my wife is beautiful, I am not sure the same is true of my career.

  • Matthews says wrap will build secure foundation

    18 May 2006

    Standard Life life & pensions chief executive Trevor Matthews believes the development of the wrap market could solve the problem of client retention which is plaguing the life and pension industry .Speaking last week in London at the Institute of Economic Affairs' conference, entitled, The Future of Life Assurance, Matthews warned the industry that it must change its present model because the majority of reported new life and pension business is being recycled between providers ...

  • Merger for pension and actuarial firms

    17 May 2006

    Actuarial and pension specialists Wolanski & Co and CheckleyFisher have merged to create Wolanski CheckleyFisher. Both firms specialise in corporate pensions and the combined firm will create a new player in the actuarial market, made up of seven fully-qualified owner-manager actuaries.

  • Merger for pension and actuarial firms

    18 May 2006

    Actuarial and pension specialists Wolanski & Co and CheckleyFisher have merged to create Wolanski CheckleyFisher.

  • Metal gurus to offer hedge fund

    18 May 2006

    Master Adviser principal Doug Brodie and his brother Chris are set to launch a long/ short commodities hedge fund.The brothers have tied up with hedge fund specialist Krom River to launch the fund in June. Chris Brodie will act as trader and chief investment officer for the Krom River Capital Partners commodities hedge fund. Doug Brodie will be chief operating officer in charge of marketing and distribution.The fund will invest across a range of commodities globally and use ...

  • Midas says more firms will seek links with platforms

    18 May 2006

    Midas Capital believes there will be greater integration between fund of fund managers, insurance companies, wraps and fund supermarkets.

  • Mortgage View: Swinging from the Hips

    18 May 2006

    We find ourselves in the middle of the awards' season. I attended another ceremony last week and most of us felt that, save for a few notable examples, the short lists and awards lacked credibility.

  • MPs ponder Which? proposals for equity release

    18 May 2006

    The Treasury select committee will decide in the next few weeks whether the Which? plan for a Government-led equity-release scheme is a viable proposition.The consumer body has submitted preliminary proposals to the committee although it has still to determine details such as rates.It wants the Government to help finance and take the lead in a not-for-profit initiative to be run by a local authority or charity.Which? published a damning report into the equity-release market ...

  • Multi-manager View: Alpha and omega

    18 May 2006

    The recent outperformance by small and medium-cap stocks has not just applied in the UK. In the US, large-cap stocks have risen by 12.2 per cent over 12 months, well below the 27.8 per cent from small caps.

  • Muslims may have to sell homes to pay IHT

    18 May 2006

    Muslim families could be forced to sell their homes to pay inheritance tax bills following Chancellor Gordon Brown's surprise overhaul of the taxation of trusts in the Budget.The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners head of policy and communications Keith Johnston says there is a danger that thousands of Muslim families will be affected and will be faced with no option but to sell their homes as spousal exemption are being removed from trusts.Under Sharia law, a Muslim ...

  • NAPF aiming to spread the pension word

    18 May 2006

    The National Association of Pension Funds is looking for volunteers to help spread the word about the benefits of pension saving.

  • New Abbey branches will aid brokers

    17 May 2006

    Abbey says intermediaries will benefit after it announced plans to open an additional 100 branches. A spokeswoman says brokers will see service improvements from the additional resources the bank will have.

  • 'New Abbey branches will aid brokers'

    18 May 2006

    Abbey plans to open an additional 100 branches and says brokers will see service improvements from the additional resources.

  • New MPPI launches offering no-claims related benefits

    22 May 2006

    Compass Underwriting and Assurant Solutions have launched a new web-based mortgage payment protection insurance that rewards loyalty through consumers' no-claims history.

  • Northern Ireland IFAs missed out on training

    18 May 2006

    Pension providers shunned Northern Ireland IFAs in the run-up to A-Day with many getting no training until after April 6, says Whitechurch Network.Compliance technician Nick Cunningham says several IFA firms rang Whitechurch Network at the beginning of April asking for training because they had a lot of unanswered questions about A-Day.Cunningham went to Northern Ireland in May to train six member firms and says Whitechurch is working with Skandia to offer further training.Sesame ...

  • Norwich and Peterborough chief elected as BSA chairman

    18 May 2006

    Norwich and Peterborough Building Society chief executive Matthew Bullock has been elected Chairman of the Building Societies Association for 2006-2007.

  • NU and HSBC move into PTA market

    18 May 2006

    Norwich Union and HSBC have entered the pension term assurance market. NU has launched life insurance with tax relief and mortgage life insurance with tax relief on level and decreasing terms. HSBC has set up life cover with tax relief and mortgage cover with tax relief.

  • NU and HSBC move into PTA market

    17 May 2006

    Norwich Union and HSBC are the latest companies to enter the pension term assurance market. NU has launched life insurance with tax relief and mortgage life insurance with tax relief on level and decreasing terms. HSBC has launched life cover with tax relief and mortgage cover with tax relief.

  • NU and Rock lead rise in equity-release rates

    18 May 2006

    Equity-release rates could be set to rise across the market after Norwich Union and Northern Rock increased their lifetime mortgage charges.NU personal finance director of sales and marketing Darren Carter believes other providers could follow suit, reversing the trend of softening rates over the past year.Money Marketing revealed last month that an unnamed building society set to enter the equity-release market earlier this year had pulled out at the 11th hour, saying margins ...

  • Olympics help boost BTL market

    23 May 2006

    The buy-to-let sector has experienced a healthy start to 2006, according to UCB Home Loans.

  • Online teaching aids from Sesame

    18 May 2006

    Sesame is working with the Chartered Insurance Insti- tute to create a series of online teaching aids which they hope will "help drive up standards of professionalism and good practise across the industry".

  • Opening of Arab Gateway

    18 May 2006

    It has been very difficult for UK investors to invest in the Arab/Gulf Cooperation Council stockmarkets. The performance of these markets as measured by the Shuaa Capital Arab Comp index has been outstanding. It has risen by substantial amounts over the past five years although recently there has been a setback of around 15 per cent. This should be a buying opportunity.

  • Origo collaborates with Pisces

    19 May 2006

    Origo has announced plans to collaborate with international property standards organisation Pisces.The move follows the launch of Origos mortgage standards initiative and Pisces launch of an XML standard for homes information packs.Pisces has published e-commerce standards in the property industry for 10 years and is publishing standards for residential conveyancing, searches, occupancy costs and investment valuations this year.Origo managing director Paul Pettitt says: The ...

  • Pair win M&G Ascot competition

    18 May 2006

    M&G recently offered readers the chance to win an exclusive day out at Royal Ascot races to mark the 75th year since M&G launched the UK's first unit trust. Melvin Pye of Smith & Pinching Financial Services and Mark Rowe-Ham from Brewin Dolphin Securities each win a pair of tickets to spend the day in the Bessborough restaurant and a night in a top hotel in June.

  • Panellists take profits

    18 May 2006

    Of the three Adviser Fund Indices, the Aggressive AFI saw the heaviest turnover of constituents at the rebalancing on May 1. With 21 of the 107 funds appearing in the last AFI season (from November 1, 2005 to April 30, 2006) being dumped from the riskiest index by the adviser panellists, this represents a fund turnover of 20 per cent. The inclusion of 22 new funds saw the number of constituents in the Aggressive AFI increase to 108.Many of the 18 panellists overhauled their Aggressive ...

  • Parting of the weighs

    18 May 2006

    Most pension issues rise or fall in prominence due to changes in legislation, regulation or social trends. The importance of the topic I will be talking about in this article - pensions and divorce - is influenced by all these factors and many more.

  • Paymentshield hires new compliance director

    19 May 2006

    Paymentshield has hired Graham Johnston as its new compliance director.

  • Peak-time viewing

    18 May 2006

    Global economic expansion could be starting to slow down despite major M&A activity

  • Pensions Advisory Service launches pro bono mediation service

    17 May 2006

    The Pensions Advisory Service has launched a pro bono mediation scheme after a joint pilot with the Pensions Litigation Committee of the Association of Pension Lawyers.

  • People on the move

    18 May 2006

    Investment

  • Periodic tables

    18 May 2006

    How is the 10-year anniversary charge calculated on a settlement?

  • Personal Touch appoints Robin Dowling as GI manager

    22 May 2006

    Personal Touch Financial Services has appointed Robin Dowling as general insurance manager.

  • Peter Chadborn

    18 May 2006

    The principal and co-founder of CBK went to a New Jersey college on a soccer scholarship and he is still on the ball by repositioning the company so that each office has autonomy to develop in its own way. Interview by Nicola York.

  • Positive Solutions brings in Gardner to lead distribution

    18 May 2006

    Former AWD Group chief executive Douglas Gardner has joined Positive Solutions as distribution director.Aegon head of risk Graham Dumble has also joined the board as a non-executive director in a management reshuffle that sees sales director Chris Smallwood and compliance director Chris Davies leave the group.Positive Solutions revealed last week that David Harrison has stood down as chief executive to take the role of executive chairman. Former chief operating officer Neil ...

  • Principle-based regulation could threaten PI market

    18 May 2006

    The FSA's treating customers fairly regime poses a danger to the professional indemnity insurance market, says Whitechurch chief executive Kean Seager.He says the principle-based regulation allows the FSA to make retrospective judgements and leaves firms in the dark about what is expected of them.Seager says PI providers are already complaining about the danger of insuring companies against indefinable risks and are warning that rates will go up.He says smaller directly-regulated ...

  • Product matters: Special delivery

    18 May 2006

    It is always refreshing to see a fund management company admit there might be better people at managing money than itself. Norwich Union has done precisely that with the launch of its new UK special situations fund. It has outsourced the management of the fund to undoubted experts Richard Buxton and Andy Brough of Schroders.Buxton, as many of you will be aware, is the top-performing manager of the Schroder UK alpha plus fund and is known for his top-down views. Brough is the highly ...

  • Psychologists probe consumer minds

    18 May 2006

    Psychologists will next month meet with industry experts to explain how the industry can engage more effectively with consumers and gain their trust.

  • Public should pay for FSCS

    18 May 2006

    Public should pay for FSCS I went to the Money Marketing Live show at Olympia recently and before her presentation, spoke to Loretta Minghella of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. In her presentation, she went through the different options for a new way of funding the FSCS. The problem is that none of the options allows for a scheme funded by a public levy, like insurance premium tax, making a charge on policies or investments which could possibly be subject to ...

  • Quarter of homeowners have no repayment cover

    18 May 2006

    Almost a quarter of homeowners in the UK are leaving their families' futures uncertain by failing to cover their mortgage debts in the event of their death, according to Friends Provident.The figures suggest that homeowners are putting the contents of their homes before the house itself and, despite an estimated 2tn protection gap, 92 per cent have contents insurance while only 69 per cent have cover for mortgage repayments.Seventy-eight per cent of respondents acknowledge that ...

  • Remortgage decline could signal demise of rate tarts

    18 May 2006

    The Council of Mortgage Lenders has revealed a drop in remortgages.Data for March shows that remortgaging accounted for 36 per cent or 10.3bn of lending which is 5 per cent less than in February and 10 per cent lower than March 2005.Despite the fluctuations, the CML says remortgaging remains a significant part of overall mortgage lending.Last year, remortgaging totalled 117bn out of total annual lending of 288bn.Purely Mortgages chief executive Mark Chilton believes ...

  • Restoring earnings' link paves way for NPSS

    18 May 2006

    Significant compromise' by Treasury lifts the biggest barrier to Turner's pension reforms

  • 'Revenue said Brown's IHT shock was crazy'

    18 May 2006

    Shadow Chancellor George Osborne claims the Revenue strongly criticised Gordon Brown's "crazy changes" to IHT trusts before the Budget, warning it would bring in little but would cost hundreds of millions of pounds.Osborne was speaking in London this week at the first of a series of meetings with City groups to set out the Tory case as a serious alternative Government.He said he had been told by senior sources that the Revenue had "strongly criticised and advised against these ...

  • Ron Sandler unveiled as Paternoster chairman

    18 May 2006

    Ron Sandler has been signed up as chairman of closed life fund consolidator Paternoster.Sandler, current chairman of financial education charity PFEG and former chief executive of Lloyd’s of London, takes up his position with immediate effect. He is also currently chairman of Computacenter, Kyte Group and Oxygen.Paternoster, led by former Prudential UK chief executive Mark Wood, has already signed up former FSA chairman Sir Howard Davies, former Zurich chief executive Lord Leitch ...

  • RU64 set to be abolished

    18 May 2006

    FSA chief executive John Tiner has hinted that it could scrap RU64 in the next two weeks after telling the Treasury select committee many of the dangers that prompted the rules are no longer relevant and new measures are in place to stop misselling.

  • RU64 set to be abolished

    17 May 2006

    FSA chief executive John Tiner has hinted the regulator could be ready to finally scrap RU64 in the next two weeks after telling the Treasury select committee many of the dangers that prompted the rules introduction are no longer relevant and new measures are in place to stop misselling.

  • Rural housing significantly less affordable

    19 May 2006

    House prices in rural areas are significantly less affordable than in urban areas according to the latest Halifax English Rural Housing Index.Research found that the average property price in rural areas is 6.7 times average earnings compared with a ratio of 5.6 in urban areas. First time buyers account for only 24 per cent of the market in rural areas compared with 41 per cent in urban areas.The least affordable rural local authority in England is North Cornwall where the average ...

  • Sandler joins Paternoster as chairman

    23 May 2006

    Ron Sandler, the former architect of the Government's plans on savings simplification has joined Paternoster as chairman.Sandler, who was also the chief executive of Lloyds of London joins the new life assurance venture which is awaiting approval from the FSA.He is also the chairman of Computacenter plc, the Kye Group and Oxygen plc.Sandler says: “It is a time of great change for pension provision in the UK and radical thinking is called for to address the situation."

  • Scot Eq policy valuations live on Exweb

    22 May 2006

    Real time policy valuations from Scottish Equitable are now live on The Exchanges Exweb Gold service.Scot Eq is the sixth provider to support the valuations service that includes the ability to provide real-time aggregated policy valuations for pensions and bonds via electronic links.The Exchange managing director David Child says: The ability to access aggregated client servicing data, such as multiple provider valuations, via one source, is proving hugely popular. We are delighted ...

  • Scot Eq Protect links with Red Arc

    22 May 2006

    Scottish Equitable Protect has linked with Red Arc offering its care advisory services for people claiming on its group critical illness policy.

  • Seeing red

    18 May 2006

    Conspiracy theories abound in a week of footballing controversy.Royal Bank of Scotland has a significant interest in the Marriott hotels following its deal worth nearly 1bn and it is also the principal lender on the new Emirates Stadium.MM could not find any further links with Arsenal FC but we do wonder whether Spurs chairman Daniel Levy would be interested in these apparent coincidences. The RBS badge may be blue but underneath we suspect there is red.

  • Sesame wins PI deal for members

    18 May 2006

    Sesame has negotiated a 10 per cent average reduction in professional indemnity ins-urance for its members.The deal has been struck with professional indemnity insurance broker Windsor, which already supplies PI cover to the majority of Sesame members. The agreement comes after a 15 per cent reduction last year.Sesame says it expects further cuts on excess levels and claims the deal offers better terms than are generally available in the market.But rival PI broker PYV says ...

  • 'Set aside politics to give NPSS 20 years'

    18 May 2006

    The pension debate needs to be depoliticised if Lord Tuner's NPSS is to survive long enough to improve pension saving, warned ABI director general Stephen Haddrill.Speaking during a panel debate at the IEA conference, Haddrill said if the NPSS is to last 20 years, party politics must be set aside and the policy backed by consensus.Legal & General pensions strategy director Adrian Boulding said it is likely to take 20 years for the NPSS to reach break-even and he questioned the ...

  • Seven pillars of wisdom

    18 May 2006

    A legal firm seeks advice on its group life scheme in light of the Budget changes to inheritance tax and trusts

  • SimplyBiz links up with Lifetime

    18 May 2006

    SimplyBiz and wrap provider Lifetime have formed a strategic partnership, with the aim of removing much of the complexity facing advisers and clients.

  • SimplyBiz links up with Lifetime

    17 May 2006

    SimplyBiz and wrap provider Lifetime have announced a strategic partnership which will see the two companies working closer with the aim of removing much of the complexity facing advisers and clients.

  • Sipp deal offers free first year

    18 May 2006

    Lawrence House Fund Managers is offering a Sipp with no set-up costs or charges for the first year in conjunction with pension specialist DA Phillips.The two firms will pay the 805 set-up and first-year costs of the premier trust Sipp for any client introduced by an IFA. Minimum investment is 150,000 to qualify for the deal.Admin and trusteeship will be overseen by DA Phillips while Lawrence House will offer discretionary portfolio management for clients with over 250,000 and ...

  • Sipps steam ahead

    18 May 2006

    The alternative investment opportunities provided by Sipps make the role of the adviser and scheme administrator even more vital, says Pointon York Sipp Solutions managing director Christine Hallett

  • Sitting bull or running bear?

    18 May 2006

    Matt Goodburn looks at whether we are approaching a market watershed

  • Skandia seeks top 10 ideas for fund

    18 May 2006

    Skandia Investment Management is set to launch a global best ideas fund this summer. It will aim to take the 10 best ideas from 10 of the world's top managers and put them in a single fund.

  • Skandia seeks top 10 ideas for funds

    17 May 2006

    Skandia Investment Management is set to launch a global best ideas fund this summer, which the group says will aim to take the 10 best ideas from 10 of the world’s top fund managers and put them into a single fund.

  • Smooth out the dents

    18 May 2006

    We must work to improve the image of critical-illness cover and raise consumer confidence

  • SocGen kicks off World Cup warrant

    18 May 2006

    Societe Generale is offering a warrant giving exposure to nine companies it expects to profit from the World Cup.It has chosen stocks that performed well in the run-up to at least four of the last five major football events since 1996.Stocks held within the warrant include Puma, Heineken, Adidas-Salomon and Danone, which delivered average absolute returns of 14.9 per cent over the last five football events.The warrant will double the return achieved by the stocks through ...

  • SocGen sets up roadshows on warrant trading

    18 May 2006

    Societe Generale is embarking on a series of UK road shows for advisers and investors which will aim to teach delegates about covered warrant trading.

  • Standard gift on hold for clarity on IHT

    18 May 2006

    Standard Life is suspending the launch of its discounted gift plan until the rules surrounding inheritance tax valuations are clarified.The company, which put all its trust plans on hold following the Budget, says it needs clarity on the IHT valuation implications of payments to the settlor and how the trust will be valued in year 10 before relaunching its discounted gift plan.It says a variety of conflicting views is causing confusion in the market and it is writing to the ...

  • Start thinking again

    18 May 2006

    Reading the industry press these days can be pretty depressing. Glancing through an endless sequence of headlines about people, product and regulation, it is sad to think that this is a reflection of how introspective the industry has become.

  • Super model

    18 May 2006

    Tenet Group chief executive Simon Hudson defends the network concept

  • Swap shop for fixes

    18 May 2006

    Guy Anker analyses whether trackers are set to take over from fixed rates

  • Tantrums over TCF

    18 May 2006

    A few weeks ago, I suggested that paranoia is a key personality trait among IFAs. My comments stung quite a few of you into emailing me on the subject, with some of the responses weirder than the role played by Gene Hackman in the 1970s' film The Conversation, where he appears as a surveillance expert who refuses to buy a phone and will not tell his girlfriend his real age or what he does for a living.

  • Tax-free cash under threat

    18 May 2006

    It looks as if the industry as a whole has jumped the gun in its interpretation of the rules'

  • Tebbutt hits back at critics

    18 May 2006

    Outgoing Millfield chief executive Paul Tebbutt has fired a parting shot at industry critics, saying he made a mistake but has paid for it.Tebbutt, who left Millfield last week and has been replaced by group sales and marketing director Alan Easter, says he is appalled at the way he has been the subject of repeated attacks within the industry over a fine that he says was far less than many others meted out by the regulator.Last month, he was hit with a personal fine of 35,000 ...

  • The bigger picture

    18 May 2006

    When I was asked by Money Marketing to contribute to its Professional Brief about the "good, the bad and the ugly" in financial services recruitment, my initial thought was how apt the phrase is. This roller-coaster industry has certainly been tough for the first quarter of the year.

  • The Heat is on

    18 May 2006

    Aaarrggggh. Yet more technical papers that must be read. I don't know about you but my pile of reading is nearly reaching the ceiling.

  • This week in Protection

    18 May 2006

    An increase to the retirement age by three years could put even greater pressure on employee benefit schemes and force insurers' hands when it comes to determining policy details of group risk schemes, according to UnumProvident.

  • This week in Regulation

    17 May 2006

    Bashing the FSA's treating customers fairly regime would appear to be all the rage once again. It seems everyone is straining at the leash to knock the jewel in the FSA's principles based crown, from top industry bosses such as Park Row chief executive Peter Sprung, to the Law Society.

  • Threesixty launches protection panel

    18 May 2006

    Support service provider threesixty has launched a protection panel comprising Legal & General, Friends Provident, Scottish Provident, Scottish Equitable Protect, Standard Life and Scottish Widows.

  • 'Training shift could leave small advisers out in cold'

    18 May 2006

    Regulation expert warns that providers could find it uneconomical to train small firms

  • 'Turner-type report needed for public sector pensions'

    18 May 2006

    The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to commission a Turner-style report to address the way forward for public-sector pensions.Speaking at a Politiea conference in London, LibDem Shadow Work and Pension Secretary David Laws said such a report should consider how to make the schemes sustainable in the future.Laws said Lord Turner's recommendations had gone a long way to solving a potential pension crisis but similar work must now be done on public-sector schemes ...

  • UCB launches brace of products

    18 May 2006

    UCB Home Loans will launch two new exclusive products in partnership with some of its national accounts next week.

  • UCB reduces rate on its BTL tracker

    19 May 2006

    UCB Home Loans is launching a new buy to let three-year flexible tracker at 5.19 per cent.

  • Union flags fly for social responsibility

    18 May 2006

    Commentators have ignored a salutary fact to emerge from the Sunday Times Business in the Community study into corporate responsibility nearly the companies in the top 20 recognise trade unions.

  • Up to 2bn in pension credits still unclaimed

    18 May 2006

    Between 1.46bn and 2.07bn of pension credits are going unclaimed by more than one million pensioners, according to figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions.It says that between 1.14 million and 1.63 million pensioners are not claiming the credit, with 2.57million people claiming it at a total cost of 5.46bn. The DWP says that compared with the last six months of the minimum income guarantee, which was replaced by the pension credit in 2004, 900,000 people now claim ...

  • Warning for IFA 'mystery shopping' regulator

    18 May 2006

    The FSA has threatened an IFA with enforcement action for recording phone calls with its staff and posting them on the internet.Mortgage Life & Pensions managing director Paolo Standerwick says he wants to turn the tables on the FSA by "mystery shopping" its staff.But the regulator has sent a written warning to Standerwick, claiming "covert" taping breaches principles 4 and 11 of FSA rules which require firms to deal with the regulator in an open and co-operative way. It says ...

  • West Brom opens arm for intermediaries

    18 May 2006

    West Bromwich Building Society is setting up a separate intermediary arm as it looks to boost business from brokers.West Brom For Intermediaries will be unveiled next week and follows the trend set by Britannia, Portman, Yorkshire and Derbyshire building societies which have all created separate brands for intermediary business.The lender wrote 968m of intermediary business last year, which represented 75 per cent of its mortgage transactions, but hopes to increase that to 1.5bn ...

  • Why is Standard on this mission?

    18 May 2006

    John Lawson of Standard Life seems to be on a mission to wind up the Treasury. That is usually a jolly wheeze but I fear that lasting damage will be done to the industry.Last year, he inaccurately and very publicly suggested that the Treasury would be giving away 4bn in tax relief on residential property in Sipps. Shortly afterwards, the Treasury executed its abrupt U-turn, which he promptly described as outrageous.

  • Winter warning

    18 May 2006

    Damage from the proposed NPSS will be felt before it is even implemented

  • Winterthurwants hard-hitting Govt ad push for pensions

    18 May 2006

    Winterthur Life has warned that any Government drive to promote pension savings must be as hard-hitting as its drink-driving, Aids and anti-smoking campaigns.Chief executive Mike Kellard told the IEA Conference that a mixture of apathy and a lack of education is preventing people from understanding the need to save in a pension to secure a comfortable retirement.Kellard hailed the success of past major Government-sponsored campaigns and called for Parliament to introduce hard-hitting ...

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