NS&I issues apology for 'failing customers' with long call waiting times
National Savings & Investments (NS&I), which operates premium bonds and other savings products, has apologised to customers for its poor service after admitting that it took an average of 20 minutes to answer the phone in the autumn of last year.
Published 22 January 2021
Begbies Traynor: Why the housing market is protected during lockdown 3.0
As mainland Scotland entered the third coronavirus lockdown under national guidelines, the housing market braced itself for another slowdown following attempts to catch up due to the four-month shut down which commenced in March 2020. To restart the housing market, encourage vendors to increase their selling appetite and push buyers to continue interacting with estate agents, special guidance and legislative changes were unveiled.
Published 22 January 2021
Jonathan Smith: On-the-job training – it all adds up in 2021
Jonathan Smith, an Aberdeen-based coach and facilitator with peer-to-peer business networking platform The Alternative Board (TAB), discusses how businesses could benefit from 'free' training for their staff.
Published 22 January 2021
No bonuses for Standard Life staff unless they are 'star performers'
Stephen Bird, the CEO of Standard Life Aberdeen, has informed staff that they should not expect bonuses or a pay rise unless they are "star performers".
Published 22 January 2021
Greenshoots: Nucleus Financial Group launches low-cost outcomes-based managed portfolio service
Edinburgh-based financial services company Nucleus Financial Group has launched a fully integrated, low-cost, outcomes-based managed portfolio service which has been designed to align client goals directly with their investments.
Published 22 January 2021
Files stolen from environmental regulator during cyber attack published online
More than 4,000 digital files stolen from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in a cyber attack over Christmas have now been illegally published online after the public body rejected a ransom demand.
Published 22 January 2021
UK borrowing hits over £34bn in December
The UK's public sector net borrowing is estimated to have reached £34.1 billion in December 2020, £28.2bn more than in December 2019, which is both the highest December borrowing and the third-highest borrowing in any month since monthly records began in 1993.
Published 22 January 2021
FCA proposes fee price cap for claims management companies
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published proposals to introduce a price cap on the fees claims management companies (CMCs) charge their customers in relation to claims for financial products and services.
Published 22 January 2021
UK retail sales saw small rebound in December
UK retail sales volumes edged up a weaker-than-expected 0.3% month-on-month in December after a temporary opening up of non-essential retailers following November’s lockdown, according to the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Published 22 January 2021
UK manufacturing sector saw challenging start to first quarter of 2021
The UK's manufacturing sector lost its momentum in the first quarter of this year, as the nationwide lockdowns continued to take effect, according to the January CBI Industrial Trends survey.
Published 22 January 2021
