Money Marketing
18 April 2007

  • Over half of advisers back shadow plan

    19 Apr 2007

    Fifty-eight per cent of adviser firms would volunteer to have a member of FSA staff shadow their firm while 42 per cent are against it, according to a poll on Moneymarketing. co.uk.

  • Purnell announces review panel and issues call for evidence

    23 Apr 2007

    The Government has announced details of a funding review to help to people who lost money when their pension schemes collapsed.

  • Sales head Beddall quits Credit Suisse

    19 Apr 2007

    Credit Suisse has suffered another setback with the loss of its head of sales James Beddall. He took over the role following the departure of Ian Chimes and Mark Thomas a year ago. No replacement has yet been announced.

  • 4,000 More City jobs to be created this year

    20 Apr 2007

    Around 4,200 more City jobs will be created this year, according to research from the Centre for Economic and Business Research. Most of the employment growth has been in the professional services sector, including law and accountancy roles, making up 2,800 new jobs in the Square Mile and Canary Wharf.

  • 98 small firms lose permission over RMAR failures

    19 Apr 2007

    The FSA cancelled the permissions of 151 small firms in 2006-07 compared with 161 the previous year, with 98 failing to submit RMAR returns.

  • A corner for a foreign yield

    19 Apr 2007

    Advisers are increasingly recognising the long-term prospects for global income.

  • A fistful of pounds

    18 Apr 2007

    Neil Woodford’s income funds were once again the lynchpins of what has turned out to be a very up and down Isa season.

  • A notion divided

    19 Apr 2007

    The changing nature of equity income has made it near impossible to distinguish between those managers who seek to provide a rising dividend and those willing to sacrifice some income in favour of potentially higher capital gains.

  • A shaw thing

    19 Apr 2007

    Sad news, we know, but Correspondent's Week has finally come to an end as Money Marketing launches a new trio of society columnists to the world of financial services.

  • A tasty addition for financial providers

    19 Apr 2007

    Having come through another Isa season, it is easy to see the benefits of a tasty wrap as a seasonal addition to the menu.

  • A third of FTBs borrowing five-times income

    18 Apr 2007

    A third of 18 to 25 year olds have a mortgage worth five times their salary, research from Equifax reveals. It claims that young people are setting themselves up for a poor retirement with women potentially most at risk. Some 50 per cent of 18-25 year olds already have over £5,000 of short term debt and 33 per cent of this age group that have a mortgage, have borrowed more than five times their salary.

  • Abbey axes up-front costs on loan range

    19 Apr 2007

    Abbey is offering a new range of products with no up-front costs designed for people moving home The range has no legal, valuation or application fees, and Abbey says it could save borrowers up to 2,000.

  • Abbey promises no fees for homemovers

    18 Apr 2007

    Abbey has launched a raft of new products that remove all of the upfront costs for homemovers.

  • ABI accused of leaving IFAs in dark on CI

    19 Apr 2007

    Scottish Provident has hit out at the Association of British Insurers for leaving IFAs uninformed on critical-illness insurance developments by not communicating its statement of best practice effectively to them.

  • ACA calls for shared risk schemes as part of deregulatory review

    20 Apr 2007

    The Government must introduce radical reforms in its deregulatory review of pensions including a “shared risk” scheme to avoid levelling down as a result of personal accounts, says the Association of Consulting Actuaries.

  • A-Day effect wears off for Aviva

    24 Apr 2007

    Aviva reported a slight drop in UK pension sales as the A-Day effect began to wear off.

  • Adviser Fund Index

    19 Apr 2007

    The rules for the construction of the Adviser Fund Indices have been revised, allowing the panellists greater access to multi-manager funds.

  • Ahipp blasts reform scaremongers

    19 Apr 2007

    Hip supporters have hit out at critics of the new regime in an outspoken statement headed, "Lies, damn lies and uninformed Hip critics.

  • Aifa revamps site to widen careers focus

    20 Apr 2007

    Aifa and the AMI have set up an extended graduate career section as part of its revamped website, with information about profess-ional development and a job search section.

  • Alternative medicine

    19 Apr 2007

    Sarah Hall looks at the problems of giving advice on annuity alternatives.

  • ASA rejects complaints about Hip ads

    19 Apr 2007

    The Advertising Standards Authority has rejected a series of complaints against controversial Government home information pack marketing.

  • Aviva's Snowball leaves for Towergate

    23 Apr 2007

    Aviva UK group executive director Patrick Snowball will leave the group at the end of June to take up the role of deputy chairman at Towergate Partnership which has led to a shake-up of the executive team.

  • B&CE backs proposals to make it pay to save

    19 Apr 2007

    B&CE Benefit Schemes has thrown its weight behind the Department for Work and pensions select committee's recommendations for an increase in the amount that people can save into pension personal accounts without eroding means-tested benefits.

  • Balls calls for Age 70 rule to be scrapped

    23 Apr 2007

    Treasury economic secretary Ed Balls said today that he would be writing to FSA chairman Callum McCarthy recommending that the age 70 rule be scrapped.

  • Barclays backlog on cash Isa

    19 Apr 2007

    Barclays customers taking out its 6.5 per cent cash Isa may have to wait almost four weeks for accounts to be opened because of a huge backlog due to massive demand. It promises to backdate interest to the day the contract was signed.

  • Barclays' Skirton joins Gartmore as non-exec chairman

    18 Apr 2007

    Andrew Skirton will join Gartmore as a non-executive chairman of the advisory board, joining three directors from Hellman & Friedman and three from Gartmore.

  • Barnard to launch protection review awards

    19 Apr 2007

    The architect of critical illness cover Dr Marius Barnard, will be the guest speaker at this year’s Protection Review launch dinner on July 11.

  • Best year yet for the finance masters

    20 Apr 2007

    Virtually every masters in finance graduate from London Business School found employment within three months of graduating in 2006, making it the best recruitment year yet for the school.

  • Beyond the hype

    19 Apr 2007

    So much for the pessimism of a number of commentators who, like me, have been warning of a potential setback in share prices. Last week saw the UK market continue its upward progression and break through 6,400 for the first time in more six years.

  • BlackRock's big in Japan

    19 Apr 2007

    Just when you thought that morale at bigger firms is not quite what it is cut out to be, the Diary is here to prove you wrong.

  • BoS and TMB raise LTVs to 90%

    19 Apr 2007

    HBOS pair Bank of Scotland and The Mortgage Business have increased their loan-to-value ratios to 90 per cent on a number of products.

  • Brand stand

    19 Apr 2007

    We now appear to be at the start of spring. Stockmarkets are up, as are house prices, while new business figures from product providers increase. Adviser numbers are growing and consumer demand to find an IFA through www.unbiased. co.uk is very encouraging.

  • Broker Talkback

    19 Apr 2007

    Do you think advisers should be able to cold-call customers?

  • Brokers want retro boost for critical policies

    19 Apr 2007

    Protection advisers are calling for improvements to critical-illness insurance policies to be applied retrospectively to existing customers as well as new customers to boost trust in the industry.

  • Brown battles down critics

    23 Apr 2007

    After a tough week in which the Conservatives through threw every pensions weapon they had at the Chancellor, Gordon Brown seems to have come through as well as he could have wished after a storming Commons performance and strong backbench support.

  • BSA lending doubles in Q1, says BSA

    23 Apr 2007

    Lending by building societies doubled in the first quarter of 2007, with gross advances totaling £5.47bn in March, says the Building Societies Association.

  • Building up funds

    19 Apr 2007

    Funds that tap into housing are becoming increasingly popular with investors, offering the potential without many of the problems associated with owning bricks and mortar, says Samantha Downes.

  • Canada Class act for online cover

    19 Apr 2007

    Canada Life's internet-based e-business portal Class now allows advisers to complete the on-risk process online with the system confirming that cover is in place.

  • Cheviot in fund of funds first launch

    19 Apr 2007

    Cheviot Asset Management has set up a multi-asset fund of funds as its first investment product following the firm's relaunch last May.

  • CII calls for framework to monitor generic advisers

    18 Apr 2007

    The Chartered Insurance Institute is calling for the introduction of a framework to evaluate and monitor prospective generic advisers saying this will be essential for public protection if unregulated generic advice is launched.

  • CII members vote for modernised structure

    19 Apr 2007

    Chartered Insurance Institute members have approved proposals to modernise the organisation, with a new governing board replacing its existing council.

  • Claims Standards Council chief quits as regulation day looms

    19 Apr 2007

    The Claims Standards Council is to vote for a new chairman at an extraordinary general meeting next week following the resignation of Andrew Twambley after just six months in the role.

  • 'Competition adds to confusion on CI'

    19 Apr 2007

    Bright Grey has warned against protection providers racing each other to cover the most conditions under their critical-illness policies.

  • 'Constant review is needed for clients'

    19 Apr 2007

    SimplyBiz says product providers must take a lot of the responsibility for encouraging commission-led sales by advisers because of their remuneration terms.

  • Consumers don't trust the big banks

    19 Apr 2007

    Barclays is the least trusted of the big five high-street banks according to research from independent personal finance website fool.co.uk.

  • Critical differences

    19 Apr 2007

    Last year, a friend called me on his mobile as he was on his way to the tube station after work. "I think I'm having a heart attack," he said. I told him to call 999 and wait for an ambulance.

  • Deadline is set for electronic pension filing

    19 Apr 2007

    HM Revenue & Customs says pension schemes must file some information electronically from October 16.

  • Deadlines were made to be broken

    18 Apr 2007

    I keep meaning to stop going on about pension term assurance but then something else happens - the latest being the extension of the deadline for pipeline business.

  • Defining moment

    19 Apr 2007

    Several of the big protection brokers, including Lifesearch and Direct Life & Pensions, believe insurers should backdate any definition changes to critical illness policies.

  • Diploma deadline for Towry advisers

    20 Apr 2007

    Towry Law is aiming to raise professional standards by setting the Chartered Insurance Institute’s diploma in financial planning as its minimum benchmark qualification by the end of 2008.

  • Dismal start for Homebuy scheme

    19 Apr 2007

    The Government has revealed that fewer than 500 people have taken a mortgage in the first six months of its Openmarket Homebuy scheme designed to help first-time buyers and key workers.

  • Doctor in the house

    19 Apr 2007

    Interest-free loans from will trusts may not always be a prescription for IHT avoidance.

  • 'Don't believe the Reit hype'

    19 Apr 2007

    Sesame is warning advisers that it believes the diversification benefits of Reits have been overhyped, saying global Reits are no more effective than investments concentrated in other specialist sectors.

  • Duffy considers lender role as he quits Hamptons

    19 Apr 2007

    Hamptons Mortgages managing director Kevin Duffy is considering a role in the lending industry following his surprise departure from the broker firm late last week.

  • Employers with DC schemes bucking their duties, warns Aon Consulting

    23 Apr 2007

    Many of the large number of employers sponsoring defined contribution schemes are shying away from the practical duties, according to Aon Consulting.

  • Equity Release Special Report: Home economics

    19 Apr 2007

    Four-page section opens with David Borrowman, managing partner of solicitors Caesar and Howie, and Dean Mirfin, business development director at Key Retirement Solutions, explaining the increased role that equity release is likely to take in future as people's main retirement planning falls short of the target.

  • Equity Release Special Report: The asset set

    19 Apr 2007

    EXPERTS Q&A: our panel assess the potential of the market and why few IFAs offer advice on the complex sector.

  • Equity Release Special Report: The authorised reversion

    19 Apr 2007

    Many people look forward to April as the first month when you can believe that spring is almost sprung.

  • Essential reviewing

    19 Apr 2007

    Two recent publications contain vital information for protection advisers.

  • Euro political row erupts over Equitable

    19 Apr 2007

    The row between members of the European Parliament's committee of inquiry into Equitable Life has escalated, with Conservative MEP Sir Robert Atkins accusing Labour MEPs of trying to wreck the report for political gain.

  • F&C offloads Credit Suisse fund holding

    19 Apr 2007

    F&C's multi-manager team has sold the Credit Suisse alpha income fund from all four of its portfolios because there is still no sign of a full-time manager six months after the departure of Errol Francis.

  • Fast March for house prices

    19 Apr 2007

    House prices picked up again in March as the market absorbed interest rate rises, says the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

  • Fidelity platform cuts out IFAs with direct Sipp deal

    19 Apr 2007

    Fidelity FundsNetwork has been accused of undermining advisers by waiving costs for Sipp clients if they buy direct in a bid to boost sales.

  • Fidelity upbeat on Europe prospects

    19 Apr 2007

    Fidelity's Tim McCarron has reassured investors that despite four years of strong returns there is still scope for European growth.

  • Firms use net to find out more about prospective employees

    20 Apr 2007

    Employers are increasingly using internet networking sites to find out more about their prospective employees, according to Poolia.com.

  • FSA aims to gag protestors

    19 Apr 2007

    The FSA is seeking to gag people who complain about it from talking to the press in a move that legal experts suggest could be in breach of the Human Rights Act.

  • FSA continues with adviser fee instalment plan

    24 Apr 2007

    The FSA and trade bodies have negotiated another payment by instalments plan to enable advisers to pay regulatory fees in this way for the next year.

  • FSA sets out plans for principles-based regulation

    23 Apr 2007

    The FSA has put out a paper setting out its current thinking on its move towards principles-based regulation.

  • FSA warns sub-prime market to beware US threat

    20 Apr 2007

    The Financial Services Authority has warned the sub-prime sector it could go the same way as the troubled US market if it fails to tighten-up lending criteria.

  • Go with the flow

    20 Apr 2007

    Lenders must ensure a steady flow of new blood to aid clients and brokers.

  • Gross mortgage lending sees record March, says CML

    23 Apr 2007

    Gross mortgage lending has reached a March record of £31.3bn according to the latest data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

  • Guy Batchelor

    19 Apr 2007

    Lehman Brothers' UK mortgage business sales and marketing director has recently returned to the market after 10 years with Platform and is at the forefront of his new firm's three-pronged attack on specialist mortgages Interview by Guy Anker.

  • Half of advisers still in dark on new definitions

    19 Apr 2007

    Nearly half of protection advisers are unaware that critical-illness definitions are changing at the end of April, according to a survey by The Exchange on behalf of Royal Liver.

  • Half of brokers sell secured loans

    19 Apr 2007

    Half of mortgage intermediaries are writing secured loan business, with 47 per cent of those placing business with two to five lenders, says the Association of Finance Brokers.

  • Hargreaves Lansdown heading for FTSE 250

    19 Apr 2007

    Hargreaves Lansdown shareholders are set to share a windfall of up to £175m after the company confirmed its intention to float 25 per cent of its shares on the London Stock Exchange next month.

  • Hay accuses life companies of neglecting wrap development

    19 Apr 2007

    James Hay has sparked a wrap wrangle by accusing life offices of having little commitment to the wrap market and only launching their platforms to recycle existing business.

  • HL pulls in £420m Isas, £750m Sipps

    19 Apr 2007

    Hargreaves Lansdown sold £420m of Isas in the last tax year - an increase of 30 per cent on the previous year.

  • Hothouse flowers

    19 Apr 2007

    There is nothing like a controversial mortgage product or two to shake things up a bit. In the past couple of weeks, two lenders have obliged by launching new products. Neither is revolutionary, both have been done before but that does not make them any less controversial.

  • Huge inflows raise fears over Woodford's funds

    19 Apr 2007

    Invesco Perpetual has allayed adviser concerns about the ever increasing size of Neil Woodford's income and high-income funds.

  • In Mott we trust

    19 Apr 2007

    Ian Chimes, former retail managing director of Credit Suisse and now one of the founders of PSigma Asset Management, deserves high praise for persuading Bill Mott to come back into day-today fund management.

  • Income revamp for Jupiter fund

    19 Apr 2007

    Jupiter is to restructure its £13.5m North American fund to develop a stronger income stream.

  • Independent advice on Isas reaches record high, says IFAP

    18 Apr 2007

    Demand for independent financial advice on Isas through IFA Promotion’s unbiased.co.uk website has reached record levels in 2007.

  • Inflation rise sparks rate speculation

    19 Apr 2007

    Inflation hit 3.1 per cent in March, prompting speculation that the Bank of England will raise interest rates by a quarter point next month.

  • Inflation worries mount

    20 Apr 2007

    All the talk this week has centred upon potential interest rate rises following news that inflation hit a 15-year high of 3.1 per cent in March.

  • Isa flows avoid the big freeze

    19 Apr 2007

    Chris Salih says a late upturn in sales saved the Isa season.

  • Kassin moves to Credit Suisse

    19 Apr 2007

    Raphael Kassin has joined Credit Suisse Asset Management as head of emerging markets fixed income from ABN Amro Asset Manage-ment where he ran its $8bn global emerging markets debt portfolio.

  • Keep the Faif

    19 Apr 2007

    New alternative funds could be a useful addition to retail portfolios.

  • Keeping up with Jones

    19 Apr 2007

    Skandia press officer Alex Jones is back with a splash on our Diary page.

  • Kirwan leaves Scottish Widows

    19 Apr 2007

    Nick Kirwan has quit as Scottish Widows protection marketing director.

  • L&G launches group Sipp

    20 Apr 2007

    Legal & General is launching a new product in the group defined contribution market.

  • L&G plans group Sipp debut

    19 Apr 2007

    Legal & General has become the latest pension provider to confirm its interest in the group Sipp market as it prepares to launch a product this year.

  • Langridge leaves Invesco Perpetual

    23 Apr 2007

    Invesco Perpetual fund manager Kathryn Langridge has left the firm to join investment house Lloyd George as chief investment officer.

  • Leeds launches options bond with NU

    19 Apr 2007

    Leeds Building Society has launched a new product paying 9 per cent, investing 60 per cent in Norwich Union's portfolio and 40 per cent in the Leeds options bond.

  • Legal & General bond fund takes Ucits III 'to the limit'

    19 Apr 2007

    Legal & General is offering a bond fund that will have the ability to invest across different countries, asset types and credit ratings.

  • Lenders pulling fixed deals as rate fears hit home

    19 Apr 2007

    Lenders have begun pulling their fixed rate deals amid speculation of another base rate rise in May.

  • Life in the pension world

    19 Apr 2007

    Next month's Money Marketing Live London conference and exhibition will once again give pension advisers the opportunity to hear from the experts on the latest industry developments.

  • Lifeboat fund amendments narrowly defeated in Parliament

    18 Apr 2007

    Cross-party amendments to the Pensions Bill to offer further help to the 125,000 people who lost out when their occupational schemes collapsed were narrowly defeated in Parliament this afternoon.

  • Marriage of convenience

    19 Apr 2007

    The industry is wedded to indemnity but it is now time to consider a divorce.

  • Mazars merges with Aim advisory firm

    19 Apr 2007

    Mazars, the international financial adviser firm, has merged with MRI Moores Rowland, a London-based accountancy and consultancy business.

  • Merricks under attack after he blasts CI on TV

    19 Apr 2007

    Protection providers have warned Financial Ombudsman Service chief ombudsman Walter Merricks that his outspoken public criticism of critical-illness policies could lead to an increase in lapse rates and leave people without cover.

  • MiltonOptimal sees the wood for the trees

    19 Apr 2007

    MitonOptimal has embraced the environmentally friendly theme by investing in a socially responsible teak plantation fund.

  • Mortgage book falls at Kensington

    19 Apr 2007

    Kensington Group's problems have continued as it revealed that its mortgage book has fallen and and its margins have been cut in its first quarter trading statement.

  • MPC Investors appoint Grant Webster to multi asset team

    23 Apr 2007

    MPC Investors has appointed Grant Webster as quantitative analyst within its multi asset team.

  • MPs bid to launch lifeboat to help pension victims

    19 Apr 2007

    A cross-party group of MPs has tabled amendments to the Pensions Bill aiming to force the Government to inc-rease payouts to people who lost out when their occupational schemes collapsed.

  • Multi-manager rebrands for national push

    19 Apr 2007

    Smith & Pinching Portfolio Management (SPPM) has announced a new trading name for their multi-manager operations - OPM (Only Performance Matters) Fund Management.

  • Nationwide to increase rates on its book

    20 Apr 2007

    Nationwide Building Society is increasing the rates on some of its fixed and tracker rate mortgages.

  • NatWest calls on borrowers to switch their mortgage

    19 Apr 2007

    NatWest is urging Halifax, Abbey, Lloyds TSB, and Barclays customers to switch their mortgage to NatWest.

  • New Star website for trust data

    19 Apr 2007

    New Star has set up a website to provide investors and intermediaries with details of its four investment trusts. The data includes share prices, net asset values, newsletters and announcements.

  • Niznik leaves Standard Life

    24 Apr 2007

    Standard Life UK opportunities manager Mark Niznik has resigned from the firm amid rumours he is set to join investment boutique Artemis

  • Not on cue

    19 Apr 2007

    The Money Marketing pool team were unceremoniously dumped out of the New Star pool tournament after a bit of sharp play from eventual winners Chelsea Financial Services.

  • Offshore amnesty could bring in 5bn

    19 Apr 2007

    The Government's amnesty for UK taxpayers with undisclosed offshore bank accounts could net the Treasury up to 5bn.

  • On the line

    20 Apr 2007

    As with investment themes, there are long-term movements in recruitment requirements, within which there are ripples and eddies that are more localised in time and/or geographic location. Knowing where the recruitment market is at any one point in time is useful from both the employees’ or employers’ standpoint, in that it has an impact on availability of positions and suitable candidates.

  • One step beyond

    19 Apr 2007

    Guy Anker looks at the controversy surrounding cheap introductory deals.

  • Passage through India

    19 Apr 2007

    Financial advice firm the Bartlett Group is embarking on a trek across India for Help the Aged. The firm is hoping to raise a minimum of 5,200.

  • Paternoster doubles assets in Q1

    19 Apr 2007

    Paternoster has doubled its pension scheme assets under management in quarter one of this year and now has liabilities totalling £411.7m.

  • Pearl appoints director of M&A

    24 Apr 2007

    Pearl Group has appointed former JP Morgan Cazenove vice-chairman Terry Eccles as director of M&A.

  • Pensions fight will move to the Lords

    19 Apr 2007

    Opposition parties are to take their fight for greater compensation for victims of occupational scheme wind-ups to the Lords after their amendments were narrowly defeated yesterday.

  • People on the move

    20 Apr 2007

    Mortgages

  • 'PFS misses wrap point'

    19 Apr 2007

    The Personal Finance Society's wrap questionnaire has been criticised by IFAs who feel it neglected to include the main reason for using platforms.

  • Pickering warns of 'delivery disaster'

    19 Apr 2007

    The Government has begun its search for someone to lead the personal accounts delivery authority.

  • Playing the field

    19 Apr 2007

    Speculators homing in on agricultural land as a potential investment opportunity may find they do not always reap what they sow.

  • Pluses and minuses

    19 Apr 2007

    Helen Pow reports on Alliance & Leicester's entry into the 100 per cent-plus mortgage market.

  • Portal switches on Entelechy scheme

    19 Apr 2007

    The Money Portal has launched its Entelechy scheme to Sage network's 452 advisers in a bid to help them move from initial commission to fund-based, recurring income streams.

  • Portman members approve merger with Nationwide

    23 Apr 2007

    Portman Building Society savers and borrowers have given overwhelming 'yes' votes in favour of the merger with Nationwide.

  • PosSol denies CEO Johnson set to quit

    19 Apr 2007

    Positive Solutions has confirmed that chief executive Neil Johnson will remain at the firm until at least the end of the year.

  • Pressing matters

    19 Apr 2007

    We live in a world where the focus of media attention moves rapidly from one topic to the next. It is easy to become obsessed with whatever grabs the headlines at any moment.

  • Property price rises hit 12.1%

    19 Apr 2007

    Annual house price inflation in February was 12.1 per cent, up from 10.9 per cent in January , says the Department for Communities and Local Government.

  • Proportional representation

    19 Apr 2007

    This article concludes my short series discussing key issues within director sharepurchase arrangements by first considering who should pay the premiums under associated life policies and then summarising some of the key stages in establishing the arrangement.

  • Providers peeved as PTA deadline extended to July

    19 Apr 2007

    Protection providers have reacted angrily to the decision by the Treasury and HM Revenue & Customs to extend the deadline for pipeline pension term assurance business to July 31 following ABI pressure.

  • Pru takes stake as Assureweb raises 7.5m for infrastructure

    19 Apr 2007

    Prudential has become the sixth product provider to take a stake in Assureweb.

  • PruHealth and Boots launch PMI on high street

    19 Apr 2007

    Boots today has announced a partnership agreement with PruHealth to launch private medical insurance in its 1,500 Boots stores.

  • Quest for quality

    20 Apr 2007

    How Force 4 Mortgages has structured its recruitment programme.

  • Questions to be answered over exit strategies

    19 Apr 2007

    An open letter to Michael Coogan of the Council of Mortgage lenders.

  • Record business for Exweb portal

    19 Apr 2007

    The Exchange has seen a record number of 22,700 online new business transactions processed in March through its Exweb portal. Its previous record month was 17,500 in October 2006.

  • Recruitment realities

    20 Apr 2007

    The issue of recruitment in financial services is a pressing one. With many firms finding it difficult to recruit and retain suitable candidates, Money Marketing, in association with Envision Financial Services Recruitment, held a roundtable discussion to look at what is causing the shortage and what can be done to address the problem.

  • Reform of FOS funding delayed

    19 Apr 2007

    The FSA has delayed proposals to reform the funding of the Financial Ombudsman Service due to "significant volatility" in its case numbers.

  • Risky business

    19 Apr 2007

    Understanding a portfolio manager's approach to risk is an important aspect of fund assessment. An impressive track record should always be considered in relation to the degree of risk taken to achieve it.

  • Savills sows seeds for farm growth

    19 Apr 2007

    Savills Private Finance is expanding its agricultural division with the appointment of Matt Ducker from property consultant Strutt & Parker.

  • School of learning

    20 Apr 2007

    I was supposed to go to university when I left school but I struggled to see the point. I was 19 and I did not think that I was mature enough to understand what I was doing and I know what would have happened if I had gone.

  • Scottish Life calls last orders on demutualisation payouts

    23 Apr 2007

    Scottish Life is making a last call for former members to get in touch if they had an eligible policy at the time of the company’s demutualisation in 2001, as they may be entitled to a payment of £500 for loss of membership

  • Scottish Life International launches discounted gift trust

    20 Apr 2007

    Scottish Life International has added a ‘discounted gift trust’ to its range of draft trusts for use in inheritance tax planning strategies.

  • Sesame fined £330,000 for SCARPs failings

    19 Apr 2007

    Sesame has been fined £330,000 for failing to treat its customers fairly when handling complaints concerning Structured Capital At Risk Products (SCARPs).

  • Sipp firm aims to cut out advisers

    19 Apr 2007

    Fidelity FundsNetwork is looking to boost direct sales of its Sipp offering by waiving costs for Sipp clients if they buy direct.

  • Sipp showdown

    19 Apr 2007

    James Salmon gauges reaction to Scottish Life's Sipp criticisms.

  • Skandia/Selestia merged platform expected imminently

    24 Apr 2007

    Skandia MultiFunds and Selestia are expected to announce plans this week as to how the merged platform will look.

  • 'Small firms should heed consultants'

    19 Apr 2007

    The FSA has called on small firms to act on advice given by compliance consultants to help them comply with regulatory requirements, after it found over a third of advisers are not doing so.

  • Spreading the offshore net to catch more fish

    24 Apr 2007

    Don’t be fooled into thinking HM Revenue & Customs will be content to leave the tax amnesty at offshore bank accounts.

  • Standard Life launches AGM website

    20 Apr 2007

    Standard Life has today launched its AGM website which includes the annual report 2006, corporate responsibility report and remuneration report.

  • Standard Life sends out first AGM mailing

    18 Apr 2007

    Standard Life will begin mailing around 1.5m shareholders in over 50 countries ahead of its first Annual General Meeting as a listed plc.

  • Striding hedge

    19 Apr 2007

    Funds of hedge funds will start to creep on to the retail investment radar, following the FSA's decision to relax its ruling on the maximum amount a fund can invest in unregulated collective schemes, but I am sure most investors will be reaching for the Valium at the thought of putting their money into hedge funds.

  • Strike up the nil-rate band

    19 Apr 2007

    The news on the inheritance tax regime from this year's Budget was positive for a change.

  • Survey says pension firms fail on statement quality

    19 Apr 2007

    A new survey of pension statements claims major companies are failing to reach an acceptable benchmark for service.

  • Tech threat to packagers

    19 Apr 2007

    Most brokers believe that technological advancements by lenders could see them use fewer packagers.

  • Thames aims for the mainstream

    19 Apr 2007

    Thames River is looking to set up a mainstream UK equity fund once its new multi-manager team led by Gary Potter and Robert Burdett have settled in, with UK equity income top of the list.

  • The rate escape

    19 Apr 2007

    Gregor Watt reports on figures which show borrowers flocking to take out fixed-rate deals as they fear another increase in bank base rate.

  • Thinc targets women in recruitment drive

    20 Apr 2007

    Thinc Group is targeting women in a recruitment campaign to be unveiled later this year.

  • To B or not to B?

    19 Apr 2007

    Whatever measure of inflation you use, it is unarguable that we are in a low-inflation environment.

  • Tomorrow people

    19 Apr 2007

    Those crazy guys at Tomorrow (the new, improved name of GE Life) certainly earned their commission judging by the amount of times that they uttered the word Tomorrow at a party to celebrate the new brand last week.

  • Tories pile pension pressure on Brown

    19 Apr 2007

    The Conservatives this week tabled an unprecedented motion of no confidence in Gordon Brown over his handling of occupational pensions.

  • Truestone hires Ed Smithson as senior consultant

    24 Apr 2007

    Ed Smithson has joined Truestone Employee Benefits in the role of senior consultant.

  • Unum gets new look as US parent leads revamp

    19 Apr 2007

    UnumProvident is shortening its name to Unum and introducing a new corporate identity.

  • Upping the anti

    19 Apr 2007

    Implementation of anti-age discrimination laws has done more harm than good.

  • Watchdog puts bite on critical cover

    19 Apr 2007

    Chief financial ombudsman Walter Merricks has caused a storm over claim statistics with remarks made on the Watchdog TV programme last week.

  • Why direct approach has lost support for Standard

    19 Apr 2007

    I am not at all surprised to read of Standard Life being slammed by advisers for taking it upon itself to write direct to their clients.

  • Will advisers finally reach their True Potential?

    19 Apr 2007

    News gets around fast in this industry. Sometimes a little prematurely, as was the case this week with suggestions that Neil Johnson was leaving Positive Solutions to join the raft of PS-ers at David Harrison’s new venture True Potential.

  • Winterthur boosts adviser support

    24 Apr 2007

    Winterthur has expanded its adviser support with appointments in each of its four UK business regions - north, midlands, south west and south east.

  • With-profit bonds finally pay off

    23 Apr 2007

    Rising returns on with-profit bonds are finally rewarding investors who have stuck with them through recent lean years according to Moneyfacts.

  • Woodford dominates Isa sales

    19 Apr 2007

    Equity income takes lion's share of business on platforms but property funds continue to make strong showing.

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