The Council of Mortgage Lenders has welcomed the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee's decision to cut interests by a quarter per cent.
Director general Michael Coogan says: "Once again the base rate cut is welcome. It will help reassure mortgage borrowers at a time when other economic data is less positive.
"Mortgage rates have the capacity to fall further during the course of this year which will provide a welcome boost to affordability for home-owners."
Clinicare says it is increasing PMI premium rates by just 5 per cent for the second consecutive year.It says the modest increase is the result of a very successful 1998 during which it picked up a number of sizeable group schemes.Group manager Les Curson says: "Some providers will raise subscriptions by 25 per cent. Our […]
Leeds-based IFA network M & E is to join forces with the Interdependence Network to create the third largest IFA network in the country.The Interdependence board accepted an offer from the Greatminster Group which owns M & E through holding company Tenet Ltd. Both companies will now come under this company.The new group will employ […]
IFAs consolidated their position as the dominant distribution channel for 'non bank' personal finance products sales in the third quarter of 1998.Their market share rose to 60 per cent in the third quarter of 1998 from 57 per cent in the second quarter according to IFA Promotion.It says overall sales in markets covered were down […]
IFAs are warning clients to think carefully before opening pre-cash ISA accounts describing them as nothing more than "marketing gimmicks".They are warning clients that the products will tie them to companies that will not be offering the best ISA products in April.And if they shop around they will find that other building societies and high […]
By Ali Unwin, head of technology sector research
Apple recently announced the highest-ever recorded quarterly net profit ($18bn), with the sale of 74.4 million iPhones helping the company deliver $74.6bn of revenue for the quarter ending December 2014. These sales were largely driven by strong demand for the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Highlights included Chinese iPhone sales doubling year-on-year and unit growth of 44% in the US — supposedly a well-penetrated market. Apple ended the quarter with $178bn in cash on its balance sheet, having generated a staggering $30bn in free cash flow during the quarter.
At Neptune, we have been long-term believers in the Apple story, and continue to hold the stock in a number of our portfolios based on the company’s long-term growth prospects. This is predicated on our belief that Apple has proved thus far that it can — unusually for a consumer electronics company — maintain high margins for a sustained period of time, even as adoption of new technology slows down and competitors produce similar-specification products.
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Sales skills in themselves are not a bad thing. It comes down to whether they are truly being used for the benefit of the client, not the adviser.
The merged company owns three platforms: Parmenion, Standard Life Wrap and Elevate, but is promising to keep ring-fencing.
A recent court case emphasises the importance of robust terms of business, clearly stating the scope of agreement with a client