News

Glasgow-based Clydesdale Bank has reported underlying pre-tax earnings for the six months to March 31, including from its Yorkshire Bank operation, of £107million - down 4.2 per cent on the same period last year. Bottom line profits of £58million for the latest period also came in more than 60 per

The National Audit Office (NAO) has found that the quality of service at HMRC "collapsed" over an 18-month period between 2014 and 2015 amid staff cuts and the rolling out its new digital strategy. The NAO said taxpayers who were forced to hang on the phone while calling HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC

Politicians have grilled PwC bosses over why the company described beleaguered British high street retailer BHS as a ‘going concern’ just days before it was sold to a consortium with no retail experience for £1. MP’s sitting on the joint business, innovation and skills and work and pensions c

Alister Link Aberdeen-based independent financial advisory firm Central Investment has expanded its growing team further with the appointment of Alister Link.

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson, veteran of Standard Life Investments’ real estate team, has announced that he is to end his 25 year career with the firm this year to pursue other interests.

One third of the largest firms are withholding key information from annual reports, according to a new study of FTSE 100 companies carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the Chartered Management Institute and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. The study

The value of Scotland’s commercial property sales in the first quarter of 2016 fell by over 40 per cent, according to new figures from the Registers of Scotland. The figures, analysed by the Scottish Property Federation, show that the value of commercial property sales in Q1 2016 was £619m, compa

Home-owners in Scotland borrowed £1.8bn for house purchase during the first three months of this year, the highest total borrowed for house purchase in the first quarter of a year north of the border since 2010. The total was down 22 per cent quarter-on-quarter but up 1 per cent year-on-year.

Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers can now download and use Android Pay. Android Pay enables users to tap and pay with their Android devices at almost 460,000 payment terminals in UK shops, bringing together payment networks, banks and retailers to help customers pay simply and secu

Last year saw Scotland achieve record-breaking levels of inward investment with an all-time high registered for the number of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects, according EY’s latest Scottish Attractiveness Survey. The global accountancy firm found a total of 119 FDI projects were secured i

M&G Investments, the UK’s second biggest retail fund manager, has announced plans to scrap upfront fees and high annual charges on their big, legacy, direct businesses. In a move that will put pressure on rivals which continue to levy, M&G said it will also stop charging all investors for

Nationwide building society, Britain's biggest customer-owned lender, has reported a 23 per cent rise in full-year pre-tax profits to £1.3bn, up from £1.04bn a year earlier. The mutual, which is the UK’s second biggest provider of home loans, also said underlying profit had increased 9 per cent

Deloitte has played down the significance of the peer-to-peer lending phenomenon in a report that predicts the industry is unlikely to account for any more than 1 per cent of all lending in the UK by 2025. But while the global accountancy firm believes online platforms connecting investors directly

Mike McAnulty Mike McAnulty, director of Scottish independent financial advisers, Central Investment, discusses the changes in pension death benefits, and why it is critical to have all finances implemented before death.

Edinburgh-based Aegon UK has cleaved off another chunk of its annuity business as it focuses on becoming a major player in the platform market. The firm, which employs 2,000 staff at its Edinburgh Park headquarters and another 400 throughout the UK, has sold a £3bn annuity book to Legal & Gener