Money Marketing
30 August 2006

  • NU ads will be more product-specific

    31 Aug 2006

    Norwich Union is launching a TV campaign this week supported by new press and outdoor ads. The aim is to raise NU's profile as an investment provider and will use more product-specific ads than in the past.

  • Skandia develops IHT calculator

    31 Aug 2006

    Skandia is developing an IHT calculator as part of the development of its online wrap proposition. The tool will work out the client's IHT liabilities based on assets entered into the system and will be live by the end of the year.

  • Abbey reveals high cost of remortgaging

    1 Sep 2006

    Abbey estimates that the average upfront cost of remortgaging to a new deal is over 1,000.

  • ABI says sales of life and pensions up 25%

    31 Aug 2006

    Sales of new life and pension products rose by almost 25 per cent in the second quarter of the year compared with the first quarter, according to latest figures from the ABI.The ABI says A-Day has helped to drive record sales of 3.9bn in the second quarter, up by 24.5 per cent on the previous quarter and 31 per cent on Q2 2005.The figures show partic- ularly strong growth in individual pension sales, with single-premium individual pension new business in Q2 hitting 4.254bn, ...

  • ABI supports abolition of age 70 rule

    4 Sep 2006

    The Association of British Insurers is supporting the abolition of the age 70 rule on protection products.

  • Advantage - Flexishare Three Year Stepped Fixed Rate

    31 Aug 2006

    AdvantageFlexishare Three-Year Stepped Fixed Rate

  • Advantage - Flexishare Two Year Stepped Fixed Rate

    31 Aug 2006

    AdvantageFlexishare Two Year Stepped Fixed Rate

  • Advantage becomes a sole lender

    4 Sep 2006

    Advantage has today become a sole lender having ceased accepting all new packaging business on behalf of other lenders.

  • Advantage joins PMS panel

    5 Sep 2006

    Advantage has been appointed to the Premier Mortgage Service lender panel.

  • Aegon rebrands to strengthen global links

    31 Aug 2006

    Aegon is rebadging its UK subsidiaries to raise the profile of the brand in a move that will see Scottish Equitable marketed as Aegon Scottish Equitable.Corporate and individual brands will carry the Aegon name as well as their existing name in a strategy designed to raise awareness of the parent company among customers.Positive Solutions, Origen and Aegon Asset Management will be unaffected by the changes.The Scottish Equitable Protect brand, created in January 2001, will ...

  • AHIPP to launch code of practice for members

    1 Sep 2006

    The Association of Home Information Pack Providers will launch a code of practice for Hips which all its members will subscribe to.

  • Alliance & Leicester - Premier Mortgage Services Exclusive Prime Self-Cert Two Year Fixed Rate

    31 Aug 2006

    Alliance & Leicester

  • Architectural conflicts

    31 Aug 2006

    Reading Ian McKenna's wrap column in August 17's Money Marketing, I was struck by two things. First, just how enormous the opportunity is for well executed, modern solutions and, second, just what an enormous challenge wrap represents for the traditional industry. After all, how can a life and pension provider deliver returns successfully to shareholders by investing in a proposition that is geared entirely toward strengthening the client/ adviser relationship? I can see only conflicts ...

  • Aviva denies renewed attempts to acquire Prudential

    30 Aug 2006

    Aviva refused to comment today on market speculation that the company may be preparing a renewed proposition to buy Prudential.Shares in both companies climbed today as rumours of a possible bid resurfaced but both Aviva and Prudential declined to comment.Aviva's original £17bn bid for the Prudential was withdrawn in March this year after the Pru board rejected the proposal.A Prudential spokesman says: "We don't comment on rumour and speculation."

  • Axa confirms acquisition talks with Thinc Destini

    1 Sep 2006

    Axa UK has announced it is in advanced acquisition talks with Thinc Destini to pick up 100 per cent of the business.

  • Baillie Gifford appoints high yield bond fund manager

    4 Sep 2006

    Baillie Gifford has appointed Ben Thompson as co-fund manager of its high yield bond fund.

  • Balls attacks Byers over IHT call

    31 Aug 2006

    Treasury economic secretary Ed Balls has attacked Stephen Byers' call for inheritance tax to be scrapped as part of a co-ordinated Treasury offensive against the leading Blairite.Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Balls said Byers' proposal was unfunded and uncosted and labelled it a "short-term sectional gesture".The move comes in conjunction with a national newspaper article by Chancellor Gordon Brown warning against "promising unfunded tax cuts" and "resisting any ...

  • Banks under fire after failure to defend PPI costs

    31 Aug 2006

    'Many bigger players seem to think they are beyond regulator's reach'

  • BCWA - Personal Health

    31 Aug 2006

    BCWAPersonal Health

  • Beacon signs up to Trigold's sourcing systems

    30 Aug 2006

    Trigold has announced that Beacon Homeloans is the latest lender to support its Enhanced Non Conforming sourcing module.

  • Bee accuses Govt of 'unjustifiable' attacks on advisers

    31 Aug 2006

    Pension guru Steve Bee has attacked the Government for criticising advisers while failing to provide the public with information about the simplified pension regime.Scottish Life's head of pensions strategy says there is still no simple literature available from Government departments which clearly explains the opportunities offered by A-Day, especially in complex areas such as annuity purchase and income drawdown.Bee says this lack of clarity makes the Government's criticism ...

  • BM Solutions in light-adverse deal

    31 Aug 2006

    BM Solutions has launched a light-adverse product at 5.15 per cent for borrowers with just 500 of county court judgments.

  • Broker Talkback

    31 Aug 2006

    Should lenders and insurers be allowed to use private detectives to check on clients that they suspect of fraud?

  • Brokers facing a flood of claims on Eurolife bonds

    31 Aug 2006

    IFAs that sold Eurolife secured bonds could face a flood of complaints with Eurolife Assurance Group going into administration just 18 months after reaching a compromise deal with investors.Around 2,000 policyholders, who invested a total of 17m in the bonds in 1999 which went into default last year, are now waiting to see how much money is generated from the sale of holding company EAG’s assets.Administrator FA Simms is investigating the situation and will hold a preliminary meeting ...

  • Buy-to-let tops investment return table

    4 Sep 2006

    Buy-to-let investors are getting the best return of all asset classes, according to Landlord Mortgages.

  • Call for best-buy ban over high loan fees

    31 Aug 2006

    Mortgages with sky-high arrangement fees should be banned from best-buy tables, says Savills Private Finance managing director Mark Harris.Harris is calling for a radical overhaul of the best-buy system and describes lenders that deliberately shrink their rates only to simultaneously raise their fees simply to catch consumers' attention and shoot to the top of the tables as opportunistic and acting against the spirit of FSA regulation.He cites a number of lenders for this practice ...

  • Cap fight

    31 Aug 2006

    Matt Goodburn gauges debate on whether to invest in mid caps or large caps

  • Capita links Quay users with Webline

    31 Aug 2006

    Capita is to inter-connect Quay's client management technology with Webline's quote and application por- tal, allowing 20,000 users to exchange information between the two platforms.Quay users will be able to access the Webline portal at no extra cost. All interconnected information will be FSA-compliant, giving an automated audit trail.The ongoing project, Capita Enabler, will deliver a fully e-enabled adviser desktop that allows clients' entire financial portfolios to be viewed, ...

  • Cascading cases

    31 Aug 2006

    Our panel assess the potential perils of sub-prime and the search for deals after a client comes down from the prime stream

  • Catcher in the Rysaffe

    31 Aug 2006

    Where might scope exist to use the Rysaffe strategy in IHT planning with trusts?

  • CESR day

    31 Aug 2006

    It is time we saw real progress in opening up borders for pan-European marketing

  • Chelsea Building Society - Buy-To-Let Two Year Fixed Rate

    31 Aug 2006

    Chelsea Building SocietyBuy-To-Let Two Year Fixed Rate

  • Chelsea Building Society - Two Year Fixed Rate

    31 Aug 2006

    Chelsea Building SocietyTwo Year Fixed Rate

  • China in your hands

    31 Aug 2006

    The best performing purely Chinese fund over the past year is Neptune China run by the brilliant Robin Geffen. To August 1, 2006, the fund rose by 25.3 per cent against an average of only 6.3 per cent in the Asia Pacific excluding Japan sector.

  • Claim-chaser rapped over misleading ad

    31 Aug 2006

    The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against a claim management company for giving misleading information about the success rate of CMCs compared with individual complainants.The complaint was brought by the FSA against CPH Financial Advisory Services, an IFA firm that also acts as a CMC, in connection with an advert from September 2005.The ad included the line: “If history is anything to go by, we expect to win the vast majority of cases. This contrasts with the ...

  • Close Property Investment - Eighth Special Opportunities Fund

    31 Aug 2006

    Close Property InvestmentEighth Special Opportunities Fund

  • Cordea Savills launches development initiative

    5 Sep 2006

    Cordea Savills has launched a property development scheme which aims to deliver a return to investors of between 9 and 11 per cent by allowing them to assume the role of developers.

  • Correspondent's Week

    31 Aug 2006

    Like most PF writers, I have been busy writing about student finances this week. With an 18-year-old daughter myself, this has taken over my private life, too.

  • Crisis, what commission

    31 Aug 2006

    He says industry analyst Ned Cazalet, in his report Polly Put The Kettle On, have sparked a debate about the amounts that product providers are paying out to IFAs in up-front commission that is only serving to distract from the issues that life offices ought to be focusing on.

  • Dalrymple quits First State to set up own boutique

    31 Aug 2006

    First State Investments global opportunities fund manager Andrew Dalrymple is leaving to set up his own boutique.The 65.4m fund will be taken over by First State global growth fund manager Habib Subjally, who also runs the global equities portion of the First State balanced fund.Dalrymple is thought to be launching a global long/short equity hedge fund but details are not yet known.He joined First State in 1998 and has run the global opportunities fund since its launch in ...

  • Defaqto executives could face fight to secure MBO

    31 Aug 2006

    Members of Defaqto's executive team look set to battle for control of the technology firm after receiving a 5m bid from a third party.The executive team are understood to be planning a management buyout, which is said to be imminent.International venture capital firm 3i has a 34 per cent stake in the business after providing an undisclosed capi- tal injection in 1998 but is understood to be looking for an exit strategy.Defaqto has been aggressively promoting its Aequos Online ...

  • Don't worry, be happy

    31 Aug 2006

    Dispensing advice on life, work and the benefits of selling protection

  • Equity release now cheaper than SVRs, claims Ship

    30 Aug 2006

    Safe Home Income Plans has revealed research which claims that average equity release rates are lower than average standard variable rate for mainstream mortgages. Examining the annualised interest rates for the top ten equity release providers, Ship has calculated the average interest rate to be 6.14 per cent. In contrast, the average standard variable rate for the top ten mainstream mortgage lenders is now 6.49 per cent.

  • Fidelity global property fund now available as UK Oeic

    5 Sep 2006

    Fidelity's global property fund is now available as an Oeic on Cofunds, FundsNetwork, Lifetime and Transact.

  • Fidelity reveals alternative NPSS Personal Account model

    1 Sep 2006

    Fidelity has unveiled its alternative model for NPSS Personal Accounts, which will enable savers to opt out of the basic scheme to access wider investment choices.

  • First fine for PPI firm since regulation introduced

    5 Sep 2006

    The FSA has given Regency Mortgage Corporation a £56,000 fine which marks the first action the FSA has taken against a firm for sales of payment protection insurance since the regulation of the general insurance market.

  • Five new members for the FSCP

    1 Sep 2006

    The FSA has announced five new appointments to the Financial Services Consumer Panel.Kay Blair, Stephen Crampton and Lindsey Rogerson will join the panel straight away while Michael Chapman and Jenny Hamilton join at the start of next year.Bair has been a member of the Scottish Consumer Council since 2003, Crampton is an independent EU and consumer affairs consultant and Rogerson is a freelance financial journalist.Chapman runs his own advisory consultancy specialising in financial ...

  • Flight path

    31 Aug 2006

    Fund managers are cautious about investing in airlines following changes to security in the wake of the recent alleged terrorist plot.

  • Focus on Protection

    5 Sep 2006

    Rumours are rumbling on of another approach by Aviva to buy Prudential but both parties have denied it with Pru saying it does not comment on "rumour and speculation".

  • For the record

    31 Aug 2006

    One of the most hotly debated subjects in the wrap/platform industry is the ability of advisers to re-register assets away from platforms as well as on to them.

  • For whom alarm bells toll

    31 Aug 2006

    A few weeks ago, before my recent holiday, I was contacted by an IFA who had been conned out of 12,200 by a fraudster. Forgive me if I do not name the adviser concerned here although I will come back to this later.

  • Foresters fined for promotion failings

    31 Aug 2006

    The FSA has fined The Ancient Order of Foresters Friendly Society 55,000 for financial promotion failings. The firm is run by Financial Services Practitioner Panel chairman Mark Rothery.

  • FSA bans Walsall Bridge Insurance Consultants

    4 Sep 2006

    The FSA has stripped Walsall Bridge Insurance Consultants of its permission to carry on regulated activities after it found the firm had failed to pass on received client premiums to insurers.

  • FSA looks to simplify approved persons regime

    31 Aug 2006

    The FSA has published a consultation paper outlining proposals to merge the customer functions in the approved persons regime, in response to industry feedback.The paper follows up an FSA consultation from 2005 detailing a series of proposals to streamline and simplify the Handbook.It sets out the implications for the approved persons regime on the back of the introduction of Mifid, reminds firms it is their responsibility to carry out appropriate checks on employees and clarifies ...

  • FSA rectifies glitches on register

    31 Aug 2006

    The FSA has rectified problems with consumers and brokers accessing its register of regulated firms.Last week, a number of users could not access the register after it was revamped on Friday, August 18, meaning they could not discover details about a firm or establish whe- ther it was regulated or not.One problem was that the link on the website directed many users to the old register which had been taken down and when typing in the correct URL for the new register, users were ...

  • FSA writes to CEOs on capital directive

    31 Aug 2006

    The FSA has sent Dear CEO letters to firms it expects to be subject to the Capital Requirements Directive. Firms have until September 22 to say if they agree with the regulator's preliminary analysis of its requirements.

  • FSCS says it's braced for BIA complaints

    31 Aug 2006

    The Financial Services Compensation Scheme is bracing itself for a flood of comp- ensation claims after receiving almost 300 in less than a week since Berkeley Independent Advisers was declared in default.The FSCS says it is aware of at least 300 current or expected misselling complaints against the BIA network.It says around 250 have been passed on by BIA's administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers, with the remaining 50, which relate to former BIA appointed representative Weston, ...

  • FSCS to pay out £0.5m for BIA endowment complaints

    30 Aug 2006

    The Financial Services Compensation Scheme has estimated an average of £544,000 to be paid out in compensation payments on endowment-related complaints against BBB Network.

  • Fundsdirect sets up Ascentric service

    31 Aug 2006

    Fundsdirect has launched its Ascentric wrap service to its seven founding IFAs on the new "blue button" system from Investment Sciences. The new software supports all the existing customers of Fundsdirect, including direct clients and white-label business.

  • Giant US bank poised for move into UK loan arena

    31 Aug 2006

    The fourth-biggest bank in the US is planning to enter the UK mortgage market, with four other investment banks also lining up moves.Wachovia Securities, which has over 13 million customers in the US, is considering moving into the UK mortgage and unsecured loans market either through acquisition or by building its own proposition.It will specifically target the sub-prime and non-conforming homeloan sector via intermediaries, adding to the commercial mortgage operation it is ...

  • GMAC claims first with instant mortgage offer

    4 Sep 2006

    GMAC-RFC claims to be the first UK mortgage lender to provide an instant offer. The lender has launched its system, called POSO, to the broker and packager market and the first beneficiaries of it were John Charcol and Praxis, whose clients received binding mortgage offers within minutes of applying at 8.40am this morning. John Charcol senior technical director Ray Boulger says: The clients were able to take away the offer with them there and then. They were delighted to ...

  • 'Govt underestimating cost of enforcing NPSS'

    31 Aug 2006

    Axa says the fact that the Government needs 16 enforcement teams to police the minimum wage shows it is underestimating the cost of monitoring the national pension savings scheme.Head of pensions and savings policy Steve Folkard says he was alerted to the extent of the resources used to ensure that firms pay the minimum wage by a recent announcement from the Revenue. He says the Government may have to devote similar resources to ensure the NPSS is effectively policed, as many employers ...

  • Greater collaboration

    31 Aug 2006

    Collaborative law could see more solicitors turning to advisers for help on how best to split pension rights on divorce

  • Hudson hits back at concerns over wrap client data

    31 Aug 2006

    Tenet chief executive Simon Hudson says advisers having to share client data with wrap providers is no different from any other financial services product.Hitting back at claims from Bankhall chief executive Peter Mann last week that there is a risk wrap providers will use this data to approach clients direct, Hudson says it is nonsense to suggest this problem is specific to wrap.Hudson says if advisers are particularly concerned about wrap, they can protect themselves by adding clauses ...

  • If the wrap fits...

    31 Aug 2006

    The recent problems at Heathrow left me no option other than to drive to Scotland after British Airways could get me there but not bring me back. All the recent cancellations came as no surprise, having witnessed the understaffed approach to security when last going for a flight at the crack of dawn.

  • IFA court win over FOS

    31 Aug 2006

    An IFA has won a stunning High Court victory over the Financial Ombudsman Service, raising serious questions over the way it calculates redress.In the Royal Courts of Justice in London last week, Mr Justice Sullivan overturned a FOS award against Garrison Investment Analysis for the alleged missale of NDF structured income products, arguing that its application of the FOS's standard formula for calculating redress was "irrational" for such high- risk investors.The court case ...

  • iFunds - MFM iFunds ETF Commodity Fund

    31 Aug 2006

    iFundsMFM iFunds ETF Commodity Fund

  • IHT plans from Friends Prov Intl

    31 Aug 2006

    Friends Provident International has launched two trusts designed to help mitigate inheritance tax. The absolute discounted gift trust and absolute loan trust will allow entitlement to a series of capital payments while reducing the value of the estate for IHT purposes.

  • IHT still has important role, says leading professor

    5 Sep 2006

    Inheritance tax may be unpopular but it has an important role to play in the tax system and is unlikely to be scrapped, according to a leading economist.Speaking at the Institute for Fiscal Studies annual lecture, professor of economics and law at the University of California Alan Auerbach said slashing IHT is not particularly desirable.He said removing taxes on capital income- such as IHT or capital gains tax- gives up much more revenue than simply eliminating the tax on the normal ...

  • Jacobs threat to name firms for A-Day failures

    31 Aug 2006

    Specialist pensions IFA Richards Jacobs has threatened to name and shame two leading product providers unless they radically improve their post-A-Day offerings.Jacobs, director of Richard Jacobs Pension & Trustee Services, says the providers, one of which is a top five insurer, are both failing to offer customers the full range of opportunities presented by A-Day.He says one of the insurers does not offer tax-free cash from protected rights while the other does not provide unsecured ...

  • Kensington Mortgages - Simple Choices Minor Three Year Discount

    31 Aug 2006

    Kensington MortgagesSimple Choices Minor Three Year Discount

  • Keydata Investment Services - Protected Portfolio Plan

    31 Aug 2006

    Keydata Investment ServicesProtected Portfolio Plan

  • Land bank alert from FSA

    31 Aug 2006

    The FSA has warned financial advisers to check the status of land banking companies before putting their clients into such schemes.The regulator says it is concerned over whether land banking schemes are collective investments and therefore subject to regulation.Schemes that are deemed to be collective, but where there is no regulation, would be operating illegally.It is estimated that at present there are around 50 companies which are operating schemes whereby ...

  • LivVic offers Red Arc care services to all CI policyholders

    31 Aug 2006

    Liverpool Victoria is to be the first provider to offer Red Arc's care advisory services to both new and existing critical-illness policyholders.Red Arc's Extra Care services will be available from September 1 to policyholders free of charge on payment of the claim.Red Arc offers counselling services to policyholders, including a personal nurse adviser who is assigned to help the claimant and their family cope with the illness.Lifesearch head of protection policy Kevin Carr ...

  • Logan and Crossfield take on roles as Miller steps down at New Star

    4 Sep 2006

    New Star chief investment officer and UK hedge fund manager Alan Miller has stepped down from both roles to be replaced by Gregor Logan and Guy Crossfield respectively.

  • Melluish returns to Gartmore global equities

    1 Sep 2006

    Simon Melluish is returning to Gartmore to take up a new role as product specialist - global equities.

  • MLC launches funding package for advisers

    4 Sep 2006

    MLC is to launch a loan package for financial planning firms in conjunction with sister company Clydesdale Bank.The MLC Strategic Partner Funding Program bases lending against a financial advisory firms cash flow stream as opposed to the traditional method of security over assets.MLC and Clydesdale Bank, both members of the National Australia Bank Group, say they are the first financial institutions to form such an alliance to offer a loan facility specifically for financial planning ...

  • Mortgage 2000 - UCB Homeloans Self Cert Two-Year Discounted Rate Tracker

    31 Aug 2006

    Mortgage 2000UCB Homeloans Self Cert Two-Year Discounted Rate Tracker

  • Mortgage activity hit by Wimbledon and World Cup, says Moneyextra

    30 Aug 2006

    Hopes of a rise in mortgage market activity in July were dashed while house hunters watched Wimbledon and the World Cup in June, says Moneyextra.

  • Mortgage Intelligence - Mortgage Trust MT Select Two Year Stepped Fixed Buy-To-Let

    31 Aug 2006

    Mortgage IntelligenceMortgage Trust MT Select Two Year Stepped Fixed Buy-To-Let

  • Nationwide reports slight house price increase

    31 Aug 2006

    House prices increased by increased by 0.8 per cent in August, according to Nationwide.

  • NDF Administration - NDF Growth Kick Out Plan - July 06

    31 Aug 2006

    NDF AdministrationNDF Growth Kick Out Plan - July 06

  • NDF Administration - NDF Secure Growth Plus Plan July 06

    31 Aug 2006

    NDF Administration NDF Secure Growth Plus Plan July 06

  • New Star recruits analyst for Fof team

    31 Aug 2006

    New Star has recruited Robert Jeffree, formerly of Principal Investment Management, as a senior funds analyst on its fund of funds team. The team is led by Mark Harris and manages eight fund of funds, including New Star cautious portfolio.

  • Northern Rock launches new range of fixed rate bonds

    5 Sep 2006

    Northern Rock has issued its latest range of fixed rate bonds for one, two or three years requiring a minimum deposit of 1.

  • 'NPSS must not repeat stakeholder experience'

    31 Aug 2006

    Standard Life has called for assurance from the Government that the national pension savings scheme will not become a repeat of stakeholder.Head of pensions policy John Lawson says pension personal accounts will cost around 1bn to run in the first year, factoring in admin costs and subsidising low charges.He says those in the industry bidding to run the scheme need clear assurances that if they are to invest in the necessary infrastructure, the scheme will not then be scrapped ...

  • NU equity release rates rise

    1 Sep 2006

    Norwich Union is raising the interest rates on its fixed rate lifetime mortgage and drawdown plans from Monday. The interest rate on lifetime plan introduced by intermediaries will be 6.35 per cent (6.6 per cent APR). The previous rate was 6.25 per cent (6.5 per cent APR). The interest rate for business introduced directly will be 6.60 per cent (6.9 per cent APR). The previous rate was 6.50 per cent (6.8 per cent APR).

  • Numbers game

    31 Aug 2006

    Principal, DPB Independent Financial Services, Edgware, Middlesex Vincent Cable thinks that higher-rate tax relief on pension contributions is "a direct subsidy to higher earners". I have never heard the ability to keep for oneself some of your own earnings on the condition that it is put away in a fund (itself of value to the country as against spending it on holiday in Italy) described before as a subsidy. A subsidy is something that one is given, not an element of earnings ...

  • Nvesta hit after Eurolife goes into administration

    31 Aug 2006

    Nvesta says it is closed to new business while its future is decided after parent company Eurolife Assurance Group entered administration.EAG went into administration on August 17 when this year's 700,000 instalment of a five-year compensation plan to policyholders who invested 17m into secured bonds in 1999 fell due.Further compensation for bondholders will depend on how much can be raised through the sale of EAG's remaining assets, including Nvesta.Administrator FA Simms ...

  • Offer you can't refuse

    31 Aug 2006

    Admin: Hamptons Mortgages technical director Jonathan Cornell looks at why so few lenders keep brokers up to date on the progress of their clients' applications

  • On the water front

    31 Aug 2006

    Concerns over the global economy mean the hunt is on for sectors that are less sensitive to economic slowdown, that are under-owned and where valuations are attractive.MitonOptimal is exploring a number of potential opportunities. The first is biotechnology and healthcare. The healthcare sector suffered a sell-off this year and, within this sector, biotech appears to be the most oversold. Price falls in large-cap biotech stocks left the mean absolute and relative biotech valuation ...

  • One fiasco to another

    31 Aug 2006

    The Government's destructive mugging goes on with A-Day and Asp

  • Out of context

    31 Aug 2006

    "It's all about multi-tasking."Omnipresent hack Annie Shaw demonstrates how to balance a wine glass, cigarette and canape

  • Over half of houses will be BTL by 2026

    4 Sep 2006

    Over 50 per cent of houses will be buy ot let or second homes by 2026, according to property expert David Lawrenson.

  • Paragon and chaser in clash over 187k debt

    31 Aug 2006

    Paragon Mortgages is set to receive a claim from Loancheck over a 4,000 loan to a former soldier that it claims spiralled into a 187,000 debt.The loan was taken out by Dundee-based John Brookes in 1990 at 37.8 per cent APR from Universal Credit, which was later bought by Paragon in 1998, although further advances saw the loan value rise to 10,000. Documents show that interest was frozen in 1993 after Brookes ran into financial difficulties but he claims that Paragon then backdated ...

  • Paying dividends

    31 Aug 2006

    JO Hambro fund manager Chris Beagles is a leading light in the equity income area and he puts the focus firmly on yield, believing that dividends are a true reflection of a company's worth

  • Premier Cru Fine Wine Investments - Home Cellars Mortgage Repayment Product

    31 Aug 2006

    Premier Cru Fine Wine InvestmentsHome Cellars Mortgage Repayment Product

  • Premier Fund Managers - Protected Growth Plan - Limited Editions No 33

    31 Aug 2006

    Premier Fund ManagersProtected Growth Plan - Limited Editions No 33

  • Product matters

    31 Aug 2006

    Royal London invites investors to "enjoy the life of Riley" with its new Riley investment bond. Investors can choose between a FTSE 350 tracker fund and an active FTSE 350 fund managed by Schroders and then protect up to 110 per cent of their initial investment at a specified date in future.The product appears to be pitched at disillusioned with-profits investors - certainly a big potential market.The concept is good and Royal London seems to have made a pretty good stab at ...

  • Professional attitude

    31 Aug 2006

    Running a professional body for financial advisers is a job for professionals

  • PTA business increase could hit critical sales

    31 Aug 2006

    Rising pension term assurance sales could lead to a fall in sales of critical-illness cover, says CWC Research senior partner Clive Waller.He says most life products sold are term policies with accelerated critical-illness cover but accelerated CI cannot be sold alongside PTA. CI stand-alone insurance is the only CI option available with PTA but Waller says these are complicated and potentially more expensive.He says the rise in PTA sales could be down to churn rather than new ...

  • Public sector pensions liabilities rocket by £50bn in a year

    4 Sep 2006

    Public sector pensions liabilities have increased by £50bn, according to the latest figures from the Government.

  • Put a leash on dog funds

    31 Aug 2006

    Clients left holding dog funds have every reason to feel shortchanged

  • Regulator confirms Lambeth/Portman merger

    31 Aug 2006

    The Financial Services Authority has ratified the merger of the Lambeth Building Society with the Portman Building Society.

  • Reliance denies 'never-ending' mortgage will encourage debt

    31 Aug 2006

    Society cites flexibility of intergenerational loan

  • Rensburg UK managers focus fund

    31 Aug 2006

    Last week's Money Marketing reported that Rensburg Fund Management was planning an investment trust version of its UK managers' focus trust. This is not the case. We apologise for any confusion caused.

  • Reorganised chaos

    31 Aug 2006

    I have been reading some stuff about Mifid. How depressing. I am reminded of an old quote: "We trained very hard but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganised. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganising and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralisation." - Caius Petronius, AD 66.

  • Research reveals 10bn pension deficit increase in August

    4 Sep 2006

    UK pension deficits showed a monthly increase of 10bn in August according to analysis by Aon Consulting.

  • Retirement Plus bolsters coverage

    31 Aug 2006

    Retirement Plus has hired two senior relationship managers to bolster its regional coverage. Dawn Trustam and Roger Oldbury will be responsible for the Midlands and North Wales and London and the South-east respectively. Trustam joins from RBS and Oldbury joins from Zurich.

  • Rolling stone gathers no posse

    31 Aug 2006

    "Any problems on the day, please call us on our mobiles," typically rounds off a jolly invite. But when Money Marketing went to meet the Barings posse last week for The Rolling Stones gig, no amount of calls to both mobiles listed on the invite got any response.An hour after the MM hack's arrival, a call arrived telling him that the press team and some other hacks were in, surprise surprise, a pub and were wondering where MM was.When MM eventually met Barings and company, mutterings ...

  • Rooftop swoops for Garrard as new sales director

    1 Sep 2006

    Former Em Financial business development director Guy Garrard has joined Rooftop Mortgages.Garrard, who becomes sales director, left packager EM in June for personal reasons and initially said he wanted an extended stay away from the market, but he has now been tempted back by Rooftop.He has previously held roles at BM Soltuions and GMAC. Garrard says: "I am delighted to be joining Rooftop."

  • Royal London wants life of Riley for IFAs

    31 Aug 2006

    Royal London is setting up its first retail investment plan aimed at the IFA market.The product, called Riley, aims to offer investors access to stockmarket gains through either active or passive investment strategies, with a variable amount of capital protection built in.The capital protection element is provided by putting some of the investment into a fund holding protection contracts provided by Goldman Sachs. This can be raised or lowered at any time and used to lock in ...

  • Royal resolve

    31 Aug 2006

    Lender profile: Guy Anker looks at how Royal Bank of Scotland Intermediary Partners is overcoming its service problems

  • Sandler firm Kyte fined 250k by FSA

    31 Aug 2006

    A company chaired by stakeholder reformer Ron Sandler has been hit with a 250,000 fine by the FSA.The regulator found that between 2001 and 2003, derivatives broker Kyte Group breached FSA rules by failing to properly reconcile client money balances and segregate the correct amount of money on behalf of its clients.It also failed to take "reasonable care" to maintain adequate accounting records, which resulted in Kyte's balance sheet being out by about 7.2m for the year ended ...

  • Scepticism that Tory stamp duty move will boost saving

    31 Aug 2006

    Advisers have welcomed Tory calls to scrap stamp duty on shares but question whether the policy on its own will boost long-term saving.Conservative Shadow Chancellor George Osborne this week revealed that the party's tax commission is looking at cutting or abolishing stamp duty on shares, which would cost the Treasury 4bn a year.Hargreaves Lansdown head of pensions research Tom McPhail says it a good piece of political manoeuvring but is sceptical about Tory claims that the ...

  • ScotLife appoints marketing chief

    31 Aug 2006

    Scottish Life has appoin- ted Jamie Clark as occupational pensions marketing manager. Clark worked in marketing development at the Edinburgh-based company.

  • Sesame accused of dragging its feet on payouts

    31 Aug 2006

    Claim-chaser Brunel Franklin has accused Sesame of dragging its feet over paying out compensation to customers.Brunel Franklin says it has over 150 cases outstanding against Sesame, with clients waiting up to 10 weeks to receive payment. It says it was told by the Sesame claims team that there is a six to eight-week delay because of a backlog in the system.The FOS says companies have 28 days to pay redress to customers but can be given longer in complicated cases.A Brunel ...

  • Singing the blues

    31 Aug 2006

    After HBOS was likened to the Chelsea FC of the mortgage market, Guy Anker questions whether its dominance is detrimental to borrowers and if any lenders are capable of putting up a challenge

  • Standard Life appoints new finance chief

    31 Aug 2006

    Standard Life has appointed current group actuarial director Evelyn Bourke as chief financial officer for the UK and Europe Life and Pensions company in the Group.

  • Strong demand for advice in Personal Accounts, according to new survey

    4 Sep 2006

    Over 70 per cent of callers in a recent survey by the Pensions Advisory Service have said they would need advice as to whether they should opt to stay in or come out of the new system of personal accounts likely to come into effect in 2012.

  • SWIP corporate bond plus fund receives 'A' rating

    31 Aug 2006

    Scottish Widows Investment Partnership has been awarded an ‘A’ rating by Standard & Poor’s for the SWIP Corporate Bond Plus fund.

  • T Bailey sitting out turbulence in cash

    31 Aug 2006

    The T Bailey growth fund is holding cash for only the second time in almost seven years because the managers say the markets are currently so difficult to call.Managers Jason Britton and Richard Martin prefer the fund to be fully invested but have built up a 7.5 per cent weighting in cash after reducing an overweight position in emerging markets after the recent sell-off.T Bailey is still upbeat on emerging markets in the long term but its exposure is now more in line with the ...

  • Take a free look at network life

    31 Aug 2006

    Burns-Anderson is offering five non-member firms an all-expenses-paid invitation to its national adviser conference and event to be held in St Andrews Bay in Scotland.The event takes place from September 13-15 and will include travel, two nights' accommodation at the five-star luxury resort, conference attendance, gala dinner and one day of leisure activities.Delegates will be invited to arrive on Wednesday, August 13 to network with Burns-Anderson members and representatives ...

  • Take advantage of IHT exemptions while you still can, says tax adviser

    4 Sep 2006

    High net worth individuals and their advisers are being urged to ensure that they take advantage of the existing inheritance tax exemptions before Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs erode the benefits of tax planning further.

  • The MM Profile: Bhupinder Anand

    31 Aug 2006

    Life is about picking up the pieces of your jigsaw puzzle and making the picture you want, says Anand Associates' managing director, who has a passion for public speaking and likes to be considered as being a financial architect. Interview by Julie-ann Sprague

  • This week in Investment

    31 Aug 2006

    Royal London's new Riley investment bond product is designed to give investors the option of investing in a passively managed FTSE 350 tracker or picking an actively managed 350 fund while building in the flexiblity for the investor to pick or choose their respective level of exposure to both.

  • This week in Investment

    31 Aug 2006

    Royal London's new Riley investment bond product is designed to give investors the option of investing in a passively managed FTSE 350 tracker or picking an actively managed 350 fund while building in the flexiblity for the investor to pick or choose their respective level of exposure to both.

  • This week in Mortgages

    30 Aug 2006

    Last week saw the spotlight fall on GE Money Home Lending over alleged undisclosed commission from past and present subsidiaries that is likely to result in compensation claims later this year from disgruntled mortgage customers.

  • This week in Regulation

    4 Sep 2006

    Money Marketing this week revealed a high court victory over the Financial Ombudsman Service by IFA firm Garrison Investment Analysis which rakes up arguments over the way redress is calculated.

  • Threesixty seminars to look at PTA

    31 Aug 2006

    Threesixty Services is running a series of seminars on protection issues, including pension term assurance and whether policies should be written under trust. The 11 seminars will run between September 19 and 29.

  • TMB names new strategy and planning director

    5 Sep 2006

    The Mortgage Business has appointed Robert Holmes as director of strategy and planning.

  • TUC warn of new employer NPSS lobbying risk

    31 Aug 2006

    An ‘under the radar’ lobbying campaign headed by retail and hospitality firms could harm the pensions of one in six workers, warns the Trade Union Congress.The TUC says it has learnt major employers are lobbying ministers to introduce a waiting period of one year before employees in a new job gain compulsory employer contributions to the NPSS.TUC research shows this would mean on any day one in six workers- 4.3 million people- missing out on a pensions contribution.It says ...

  • Twice as nice

    31 Aug 2006

    For those of you who remember the lord of the black dogs and former MM investment hack, you might be interested to know that Matt Davis is now officially married. Again.Having parted our shores for the rolling hills of Portland, Oregon and the lovely Sue, and having had the civil ceremony earlier this year, Matt and Sue have had the "proper" wedding.The nice one, with all the posh frocks and fancy dancing. And that was just Matt. Two weddings, eh? Not bad for an unpaid intern ...

  • UCB relaunches self cert and BTL range

    31 Aug 2006

    UCB Home Loans is relaunching its range of self-certification and buy-to-let tracker mortgages from September 1.

  • Victoria targets 1.5bn in sub-prime expansion

    31 Aug 2006

    Victoria Mortgages plans to triple its sales over the next year and challenge the likes of Mortgages PLC at the top end of the market.The lender says the low cost of originating its mortgages gives it an advantage over rivals by enabling it to offer cheaper deals for borrowers.It says this is due to its low staff base and the fact that it outsources all of its work through packagers. It hopes to transact 1.5bn of busin- ess over the next 12 months compared with 500m in the past ...

  • View to a skill

    31 Aug 2006

    Just 36 per cent of the Adviser Fund Index panellists believe that past performance is very important when making their AFI portfolio recommendations. However, the skill of the fund manager is extremely important, according to 79 per cent of panellists.The 14 panellists polled in the first AFI mid-season questionnaire were asked to assess the importance of several factors within their fund selection process.The resources made available to fund managers are ranked as very important ...

  • We can't afford to fail our clients

    31 Aug 2006

    To be a survivor in this industry is very much about keeping fully aware of all of the things that are relevant today and those that may affect us tomorrow.For many years, mortgages were the domain of the building societies and house ownership was about getting somewhere to live. Now, there are a great number of lenders and property is seen by many as an investment, with multi-ownership becoming ever more common.Mortgage regulation was embraced enthusiastically by the industry ...

  • West Bromwich uses Tenet to support new financial planning option

    30 Aug 2006

    West Bromwich Building Society has teamed up with the Tenet Group to support its newly launched specialist financial services arm, Insync Financial Planning.

  • World Cup runneth over

    31 Aug 2006

    Germany and France have experienced their strongest economic growth in five years

  • Worst of best

    31 Aug 2006

    Best-buy tables are vital tools for brokers and are also useful for consumers. However, best-buy tables are not an even playing field. The trend to charging extortionately high arrangement fees means products at the top of the short-term residential best-buy tables work out to be far less attractive once this extra cost is factored in.

  • Worth the weight

    31 Aug 2006

    With September upon us and the holiday season drawing to a close, it makes sense to endeavour to determine what investment themes might take us into the autumn.

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