Money Marketing
17 November 2004

  • 3bn needed for pension rescue

    18 Nov 2004

    The Government's 20m annual commitment to the scheme for collapsed pension funds is woefully inadequate and it only support a fraction of those who have lost out, says independent pension consultant Dr Ros Altmann.

  • A consumer's view

    18 Nov 2004

    With the post-war baby boom-ers coming up to retirement, IFAs and other professionals would do well to remind clients that a bit of pre-retirement planning does not go amiss.

  • Abbey for Intermediaries launches commission based payment package

    22 Nov 2004

    Abbey for Intermediaries is launching a new commission based payment package for intermediaries selling its Peace of Mind buildings and contents insurance and Paymentcase mortgage payment protection insurance.

  • Abraham to probe DWP on DB role

    18 Nov 2004

    Parliamentary Ombudsman Ann Abraham says there will be an investigation into whether Government maladministration led to finalsalary scheme members losing pension benefits.

  • Aegon says multi-ties will change market in long term

    18 Nov 2004

    Multi-ties will not fundamentally change the market immediately but will provide opportunities in the longer term, claims Aegon group chief executive David Henderson.

  • Aifa wants rethink on FSCS

    18 Nov 2004

    Aifa is calling for an urgent fundamental review of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

  • AITC wants Treasury to end 'tax distortion'

    18 Nov 2004

    The AITC is calling on the Treasury to put an end to tax distortions, which it says make the creation of investment trust bond funds commercially unviable.

  • Alliance & Leicester - Five Year Fixed Rate

    22 Nov 2004

    Alliance & LeicesterFive Year Fixed Rate

  • Alliance & Leicester - Long Term Base Rate Tracker

    17 Nov 2004

    Type: Flexible tracker mortgage

  • Axa mixes menu to cover tastes for protection

    18 Nov 2004

    Axa is launching its protection account this week with a range of cover on a menu.

  • Back to basics

    18 Nov 2004

    The final rules for the basic advice regime were published last week but what changes have been made since the FSA first put forward its controversial proposals and asked the industry for opinions?Aifa is not sure that much progress has been made and director of policy Fay Godd-ard is not impressed: "The key points have not changed much," she says. "We did not like the original proposals and, as these have hardly changed, we have no more reason to like them."

  • Bates puts risk in focus

    18 Nov 2004

    The performance of most focus funds is worth the higher risk compared with mainstream funds but the gap is narrowing, says Bates Investment Services.

  • Be a partner in business

    18 Nov 2004

    Find out how you could help your community and raise funds for the NSPCC.

  • Beagles back with JO Hambro fund

    18 Nov 2004

    Winterthur Life pensions stra-tegy manager Mike Morrison says IFAs are still unable to give definitive advice to clients while they wait for details on pension simplification.

  • Boulger anger over BTL ad 'confusion'

    18 Nov 2004

    Networks and mortgage advisers must make sure advice booklets for regulated and non-regulated mortgages do not contain the wrong information, says Charcol senior technical manager Ray Boulger.

  • Breene break

    18 Nov 2004

    Mod legend Paul Weller recently organised his daughter's birthday bash and his guitar technician recommended punk band Breene to play at the party. The band's lead vocalist is Eddy O'Dwyer, whose day job is business support co-ordinator with Skipton Financial Services. The Diary wonders whether Breene did a cover of Weller's ode to financial services, Everything Has A Price to Pay? Pictured are Eddy (far right) with Weller, along with (from left) Chris Smeaton, Joey McEvoy and Kurt Wood.

  • Brewin Dolphin Securities - Thistle Pub Company II

    18 Nov 2004

    Brewin Dolphin SecuritiesThistle Pub Company II

  • Brokers urged to go direct to lenders for sub-prime quotes

    18 Nov 2004

    Brokers could be losing sub-prime business by not understanding the effects of online search tools, says Advantage Home Loans.

  • BSA says cost of loan regulation has hit £500m

    18 Nov 2004

    BSA chairman John Parker estimates that the cost of mortgage regulation has reached £500m, well above initial estim-ates from the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the FSA.

  • 'BTL investors will stay in market for over 10 years'

    18 Nov 2004

    BM Solutions says it is confident that buy-to-let investors plan to stay in the market for over 10 years.

  • Buckles gets snowed under

    18 Nov 2004

    Buckles Investment ServicesSnowdonia Balanced Fund

  • Can BTL beat The property downturn?

    18 Nov 2004

    The slow downturn in the property prices as interest rates hit 4.75 per cent has prompted some in the industry to ask whether buy to let is sustainable.

  • Cause for complaint

    18 Nov 2004

    I recently listened to an address by the AMI's Chris Cummings, someone who is closely involved in the mortgage market. He quoted some interesting statistics. There are 37,000 mortgage intermed-iaries. In 2003, there were just 98 complaints against them, of which 49 were upheld.

  • Charcol general manager Okey believed to be resigning

    19 Nov 2004

    Charcol general manager Ricky Okey is believed to be resigning from the company by December 1st.

  • Charcol on verge of MBO

    18 Nov 2004

    Bradford & Bingley is understood to be very close to agreeing a management buy out for Charcol. The bid is believed to include Charcol founder John Garfield and to have venture capital backing.

  • City spurns IFA sector as share prices plummet

    18 Nov 2004

    Listed IFAs have fallen out of favour with the City, with some seeing their share prices halve this year.

  • Correspondent's Week

    18 Nov 2004

    As most personal finance journalists - well, most of the female ones anyway - were invited to a screening of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason last week, I felt it fitting to write my column in something approxim-ating the style of Bridget's first diary.

  • Coventry Building Society -Self Cert 1.5% Discount

    23 Nov 2004

    Coventry Building SocietySelf Cert 1.5% Discount

  • Creeping unrest

    18 Nov 2004

    Information technology has revolutionised the way that business is carried out all over the world but how has it changed the way that protection IFAs do business with their clients and are advisers happy with the new online environment they find themselves operating within?Some IFAs are rubbing their hands together with glee at the thought of faster, cleverer and shinier technology and have changed the way they work to take advantage of it but others warn that more work is being heaped ...

  • Cruising for a bruising

    18 Nov 2004

    Equity-release demand is growing from people looking to spend the proceeds on luxury items such as round-the-world cruises but there could be a sinking feeling for advisers who fail to recognise the risks.

  • Cutting Isa allowances will cost savers over £180,000'

    18 Nov 2004

    Government plans to cut Isa allowances from April 2005 could cost regular Isa savers over £180,000 in tax-free interest over the course of their working lives, says Intelligent Finance.

  • Davy keeps pressing for product levy

    18 Nov 2004

    Simply Biz chairman Ken Davy has reiterated his call for the FSCS to be replaced with a product levy, saying a levy would not be detrimental to consumers.

  • Debt collectors claw back loans from Inter-Alliance paraplanners

    18 Nov 2004

    Debt collectors are pursuing former Inter-Alliance paraplanners who took out company loans to set up their own business.

  • Drawdown dilemma in retirement age rise

    18 Nov 2004

    The raising of the minimum retirement age from 50 to 55 could restrict income levels of people using drawdown when the change is introduced.

  • Duffy on Mortgages

    18 Nov 2004

    HBOS enjoys over 20 per cent of the UK mortgage market so you would expect its annual intermediary dinner to be a consummate affair and once again did not disappoint last week.

  • Eight on short list for IFA Woman of the Year

    18 Nov 2004

    Axa's third-quarter results show an increase in life and savings revenues for the UK.

  • Equity release to lead revamp for Woolwich

    18 Nov 2004

    Barclays is planning to launch Woolwich into the equity-release market as part of a massive upgrading of its product range.

  • Fallon fear on records in tax office merger

    18 Nov 2004

    Treasury select committee member Michael Fallon is concerned about keeping records confidential when Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue merge.

  • Firm fined 500,000 for selling shares short

    18 Nov 2004

    The FSA has fined Evolution Beeson Gregory 500,000 and head of market-making Christopher Potts 75,000 for distortion amounting to market abuse.

  • FSA appoints new regulatory decisions chair

    22 Nov 2004

    The FSA has appointed Tim Herrington as chairman of its regulatory decisions committee, which makes enforcement and authorisation decisions on financial services firms.

  • FSA warning that small firms must do more to beat hackers

    18 Nov 2004

    Small and medium-sized fin-ancial firms need to be more pro-active in improving online security systems rather than just responding to hackers and fraudsters, says the FSA.

  • Gartmore adds five to Sicav range

    23 Nov 2004

    Gartmore is launching five new funds to increase its Luxembourg based Sicav range.

  • General public still prefer putting their money in property

    18 Nov 2004

    The majority of active inv-estors are preparing to inc-rease their stockmarket exposure while the general public still prefer to invest in property, according to investor confidence res-earch by the AITC.

  • Getting the right mix

    18 Nov 2004

    What key ingredients make up a good provider proposition in the protection arena - what has a provider got to get right if it is to be successful in this market?

  • Hatch leaves Penrose following boardroom disputes

    18 Nov 2004

    Penrose Financial Public Relations founding partner Louise Hatch has left the group following a series of boardroom disagreements.

  • Here is the good news

    18 Nov 2004

    At the recent Aifa dinner, I had the pleasure of sitting beside John Lappin, the editor of Money Marketing.

  • Hitch over Halifax KFI forces Mortgageforce to choose different deal

    18 Nov 2004

    Brokers say they are still running into problems with key features illustrations from Halifax.

  • IFA seeks source of Brain problems

    18 Nov 2004

    Low-income workers with stakeholder pensions who do not increase contributions over time will pay more in charges than they do in contributions in the latter years of their saving, warns B&CE.

  • IFA seeks source of Brain problems

    18 Nov 2004

    A Midlands IFA claims to have lost business due to problems with sourcing system Mortgage Brain.

  • IFAs confident of growth in equity-release market

    18 Nov 2004

    Eighty-one per cent of IFAs expect the equity-release market to increase in 2005, according to survey by Money Marketing and Mortgage Express.

  • IFAs need a sense of justice

    18 Nov 2004

    The regulatory system is not fair to IFAs.If it wasn't apparent before, it has become obvious in the last few weeks.

  • Independent view

    18 Nov 2004

    There is still much confusion about trail fees. As advisers, we have a duty to explain the true cost of advice.

  • Insinger's hybrid portfolio mixes managers and funds

    18 Nov 2004

    Anglo-Dutch investment manager Insinger de Beaufort is blurring the boundaries between manager of managers and funds of funds with its recently established astute portfolio.

  • Insurance to cover tax investigations

    18 Nov 2004

    Employment law firm Peninsula is offering a service to cover IFAs against the costs of tax investigations.

  • Investec Asset Management - Global Energy Fund

    18 Nov 2004

    Investec Asset ManagementGlobal Equity Fund

  • Investec mirrors offshore magic

    22 Nov 2004

    Investec Asset ManagementGlobal Energy Fund

  • Investment view

    18 Nov 2004

    The Apcims' conference was the opportunity to see just how fast hedge funds have grown, according to Brian Tora

  • Investors urged to consider portfolio options

    18 Nov 2004

    Insight Investments is urging investors to consider multi-manager products as a solution for the transfer of assets that have accumulated in Peps and Isas.

  • Isas fall out of favour

    18 Nov 2004

    Rising returns on cash, stuck markets and loss of tax benefits are bringing a decline in Isas.

  • James Hay offering free SSAS transfers

    18 Nov 2004

    James Hay Consultancy will carry out SSAS transfers free in the run-up to A-Day.

  • John Lawson on pensions

    18 Nov 2004

    In less than 18 months there will be a life cover revolution. New pension tax rules will allow most people to meet life assurance needs within a pension wrapper and get tax relief against the premiums paid.

  • Julian Gibbs

    18 Nov 2004

    Now that the American elections are over and President Bush has been given a strong mandate, with increased majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the outlook for the world's stockmarkets looks to be fairly good, with the UK, Japan and the Pacific markets leading the way.

  • Jupiter chief eyes undervalued firms

    18 Nov 2004

    Jupiter fund manger Anthony Nutt believes undervalued firms are the key to success in the UK stockmarket.

  • Kafka's trial as IFA 'ostrich' fights FSA

    18 Nov 2004

    A High Court judge branded FSA rules "almost Kafka-esque" as the regulator sought compensation from an IFA this week.

  • Keith Popplewell: Tolerance levels

    18 Nov 2004

    In my last few articles, I have identified and discussed the nature and extent of the three main risks involved in a pension drawdown strategy - interest rates, investment performance and the risk from increasing life expectancy.

  • LIA's late show with workshops on mortgages

    18 Nov 2004

    The LIA is holding workshops for advisers on how to provide mortgage advice in a regulated market.

  • LIA's view

    18 Nov 2004

    We are all faced every day with choices about the kind of people we should be and the priorities and general direction in which we should go.

  • Liberata handles transfer of million Barclays policies

    18 Nov 2004

    Business process outsour-cer Liberata has completed the transfer of over one million Barclays Life policies to its admin platform in the UK's biggest industry transition.

  • Life profit warning by Marlborough Stirling

    18 Nov 2004

    Marlborough Stirling's life and pension division has issued a warning over future profits.

  • LifeQuote streamlines new underwriting offer

    18 Nov 2004

    LifeQuote has set up a streamlined tele-underwriting service for advisers arranging term insurance and criticalillness cover.

  • Liver Tonic

    18 Nov 2004

    Alison Bone finds that Royal Liver is already planning to build on its recent entry into protection sector.

  • Loan star

    18 Nov 2004

    While researching the buy-to-let market, an MM hack was pointed in the direction of UK mortgage expert Owen Carey Jones.

  • 'Lords' vote to end annuity obligation is superfluous'

    18 Nov 2004

    The House of Lords vote to end annuity compulsion in the Pensions Bill is a red herring, says Standard Life pensions technical manager John Lawson.

  • Martin Finegold steps down as non-executive director of Kensington

    23 Nov 2004

    Kensington Group announces that Martin Finegold has stepped down as a non-executive director of the board of the company with effect from November 29 2004.

  • Millfield bases multi-tie on Inter-Alliance

    18 Nov 2004

    Inter-Alliance advisers will move into Millfield's multitie once depolarisation begins, according to Millfield's stockbroker Collins Stewart.

  • Mortgage Edge

    18 Nov 2004

    Mortgage EDGE: RICHARD ARDRONUp until a couple of weeks ago, the acronym KFI did not mean much to most of the broker community.

  • 'Mutuals are vital to the economy'

    18 Nov 2004

    Mutuals are a vital part of the economy, says the Parliamentary all-party group for building societies and financial mutuals.

  • Networks offer invaluable service to many advisers

    18 Nov 2004

    In your article "IFAs warned on perils of joining a network" John Ellis claims that if he were an IFA he would not want to be under the umbrella of a network. He then goes on to analyse the advantages of network membership against the problems that can arise.

  • New pension information website launched

    22 Nov 2004

    Worldwide Financial Planning has launched a consumer-friendly pensions A day website.

  • Niche products Give access to Best of breed

    18 Nov 2004

    Singer & Friedlander Investment Management has launched a multi-asset multi-manager portfolio service to allow customers access to best of breed managers.

  • No relation

    18 Nov 2004

    Further to the article on Square Mile Wealth on October 14, can I just confirm that there is no actual introducer relationship between Hamptons International Mortgages and Charles Cameron.Kevin DuffyManaging director,Hamptons International Mortgages, London

  • Occupational pension hazards

    18 Nov 2004

    The Pensions Bill introduces a large number of changes for money-purchase occupational pension schemes and smaller changes for contract-based money purchase, such as personal pension and stakeholder. It is too early to draw up a comprehensive list, since we need to see the regulations which will dribble out after Royal Assent but it is worth identifying some of the main changes.

  • On the levy

    18 Nov 2004

    Simply Biz chairman Ken Davy and FSA managing director regulatory services David Kenmir exchange views on replacing the FSCS scheme with a product levy approach to funding consumer compensation.

  • Out of context

    18 Nov 2004

    "I've been in California and, believe me, the wine there works better than the tablets I've been on." - Premier Mortgage Serv-ices managing director John Malone samples Napa Valley and gets over a recent illness.

  • Outside applicants vie for Aifa job

    18 Nov 2004

    Aifa's has received a host of applicants from outside the industry to replace outgoing director general Paul Smee who is leaving.

  • Paying a price for innovation

    18 Nov 2004

    Fund managers are warning IFAs that innovation in the investment marketplace will, inevitably, add more to initial fees and commission.

  • Platinum Capital Management - Platinum Portfolio

    22 Nov 2004

    Platinum Capital ManagementPlatinum Portfolio

  • Platinum groups funds together for hedge fund of funds

    19 Nov 2004

    Platinum Capital Management has established Platinum portfolio, a multi-manager hedge fund of funds that invests in six of the company’s hedge funds, one of which is also a hedge fund of funds.

  • Product Matters

    18 Nov 2004

    The current UK equity income sector must beone of the most competitive sectors within unit trusts.

  • Really fairly

    18 Nov 2004

    What steps have you taken to check that whoever you do business with manufactures, promotes or sells products in a TCF-consistent manner?

  • Redemptions force F&C prime sale

    18 Nov 2004

    F&C's multi-manager team has been forced to sell a stake in its own UK prime fund following the departure of star manager Mike Felton who moved to M&G this week.

  • Regional accents

    18 Nov 2004

    Key Retirement Solutions business development director Dean Mirfin maps out the equity-release boom.

  • Regulation review is key issue in pre-Budget report

    18 Nov 2004

    A review of regulation will be among the key issues raised in Chancellor Gor-don Brown's pre-Budget report on December 2.

  • Revenue urges public to recover tax on savings

    23 Nov 2004

    Up to 4 million people could benefit from an Inland Revenue initiative to encourage savers to claim tax back on their savings.

  • Royal Liver is putting Millfield on hold for protection

    18 Nov 2004

    Royal Liver says it will not offer its newly launched protection proposition to Millfield until the IFA's situation is more stable.

  • ScotEq slashes individual stakeholder commission

    18 Nov 2004

    Scottish Equitable is slashing commission on regular-prem-ium individual stakeholder business but is raising single-premium commission in a bid to capture transfer business.

  • Secret watchdog decision raises critical concerns

    18 Nov 2004

    Online proposals for critical-illness insurance are open to abuse because the ombudsman can question the contract, says exIFA Brian Lentz.

  • Sipp raises Standard

    23 Nov 2004

    Standard LifeSIPP

  • Skerritt Consultants acquires Robin Lloyd Associates

    18 Nov 2004

    Hove based IFA firm Skerritt Consultants has acquired the investment arm of Robin Lloyd Associates. Skerritt Consultants, with an annual turnover of 1m says the acquisition will add 500,000 in turnover. Brokers4Sale.com acted as introducer to the deal. Skerritt Consultants managing director Richard Skerritt says the firm is looking at further organic growth. Robin Lloyd will continue to look after clients from its Eastbourne office. Skerritt Consultants will now have a total of 14 staff ...

  • Stakeholder changes put up the exit sign

    18 Nov 2004

    The amendments to stakeholder regulations give product providers an exit strategy from the market and could lead to many companies closing their stakeholder schemes.

  • Standard Life - Sipp

    17 Nov 2004

    Standard LifeSIpp

  • Standard Life is biting the hand that feeds it

    18 Nov 2004

    Much has been recently written about the incentives for pension distribution and that the 1 per cent world, let alone that the 1.5 per cent world, is not really enough to make it worthwhile both for providers and intermediaries.

  • Standard offers healthcare switch option

    18 Nov 2004

    Standard Life Healthcare is offering a switch option for the over-60s' market to help customers change from their current insurer.

  • Standard sets out changes for protection advisers

    18 Nov 2004

    Standard Life has raised concerns that some IFAs are not fully aware of the regulatory changes for pure protection products from January 2005.

  • Straight-through savings

    18 Nov 2004

    Protection providers are wasting around £180m by not using straight-through processing, according to a study by Marlborough Stirling.

  • 'Super-complaint' by Which? accuses big four banks in Northern Ireland

    18 Nov 2004

    The top four banks in Northern Ireland are exploiting consumers and offering inferior products. according to a study by consumer group Which?It is filing a super-complaint to the Office of Fair Trading with the support of the General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, arguing that bank customers in Northern Ireland are charged 21 times more than mainland customers.

  • Talkback

    18 Nov 2004

    Do you think joining a network puts an IFA's own business at risk?

  • Tenet boosts business with Friends by 85%

    18 Nov 2004

    Friends Provident has inc-reased its proportion of Tenet's business by 85 per cent over the last two years but business with Millfield has tailed off.

  • The keys to continuity

    18 Nov 2004

    Russell Flower, managed services director at Synstar, looks at how business continuity managers can keep control of the risks of outsourcing.

  • The true scale of the DB dilemma

    18 Nov 2004

    The stresses on the defined-benefit sector have already been well documented but the scale of the problems still has the capacity to impress.

  • There's still life in Teps

    18 Nov 2004

    Shepherds Group chairman Mike Abraham says having fewer firms in the traded market will mean less pressure to push up prices and better returns.

  • Tilney tailors portfolio

    22 Nov 2004

    Tilney Investment Management has introduced a second issue of the Opal tailored notes plan, a capital-protected fund which is linked to the performance of a hedge fund of funds or a combination of this and a conventional fund of funds.

  • Towry shuts Plymouth branch in restructure

    18 Nov 2004

    Towry Law is closing its Plymouth office and ending individual business at its Glasgow office.

  • Tracey Ashworth-Davies

    18 Nov 2004

    The deputy chief executive and co-founder of Bright Grey has shown that a commitment to customer focus can bring big rewards in the protection market.

  • Trigger of change for gunslinger

    18 Nov 2004

    Winterthur Life sales director David Thompson, says product providers should plan to reinvent broker consultants for the new world.

  • UCB Home Loans - Buy-to-Let 5 Year Flexible Fixed

    19 Nov 2004

    UCB Home LoansBuy-to-Let 5 Year Flexible Fixed

  • UCB Home Loans - Self Certification 3 Year Flexible Fixed

    23 Nov 2004

    Type: Flexible fixed-rate mortgage for self-cert applicants

  • Value for money - Tony Wickenden

    18 Nov 2004

    Last week, I looked at dep-olarisation and the opportunity for advisers to reconsider their business model. I ended by pointing out that it is important to bear in mind that if an adviser is to implement financial transactions and wants to choose from products across the whole market, then a fee-based option must be offered.

  • Vantis Corporate Finance - Cross Oak Inns

    19 Nov 2004

    Vantis Corporate FinanceCross Oak Inns

  • Vantis opens doors to Cross Oak Inns

    17 Nov 2004

    Vantis Corporate Finance has established Cross Oak Inns, an enterprise investment scheme that aims for capital growth by investing in a portfolio of pubs in Southern England.

  • Ventus plans for wind of change

    23 Nov 2004

    Brewin Dolphin Securities is sponsoring the Ventus VCT, a specialist venture capital trust that invests in companies developing, constructing and operating small UK wind energy projects.

  • West Bromwich Building Society - 4.95% 2 Year Fixed

    19 Nov 2004

    West Bromwich Building Society4.95% 2 Year Fixed

  • Zurich to offer advisers shares in multi-tie firm

    18 Nov 2004

    Zurich is to offer advisers a 75 per cent share in a new multi-tie business that it hopes to float or sell for 300m in three years time.

Poll

Should the MPC have increased QE this week?

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