Search: financial focus

Royal Bank of Scotland has been hit with a double downgrade by ratings agency Fitch. The unwelcome news for the state-owned bank follows a similar blow for fellow Scottish lender Clydesdale, which had its downgrade announced last week by the same agency.

Philip Hogg The Help to Buy (Scotland) scheme is nearly fully subscribed due to a bumper level of sales reservations leading to calls from eager homebuyers and anxious builders to provide yet more funds.

Older borrowers who are falling foul of new strict lending rules are being refused mortgages and forced to rely on backing from their children, it has emerged. The phenomenon is a curious departure from the ‘bank of mum and dad’ which has characterised the mortgage market for young professionals

Stephen Welton The Business Growth Fund (BGF), an initiative designed to pick up the slack in funding for small firms since the financial crisis, has committed £100 million in Scotland, and a total of £500 million, since its inception four years ago.

A group of bell ringers at a church in Kent were forced to fill out a US tax form, hand over their personal bank details, and clarify their links with the nuclear power industry in order to open a bank account. Neil Campbell, 76, told The Telegraph that he filled out an 18-page application form to o

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is expected to issue Barclays with its biggest-ever fine as part of the penalties meted out to banks involved in a currency rigging scandal. The fine will pale in value against the massive payments to be made to US institutions.

Rathbone Investment Management has announced the opening of a new office and "important hub" on Glasgow's Nelson Mandela Place. The provider of discretionary investment management services for private clients, charities and professional advisers has moved into new premises at The Athenaeum, 8 Nelson

Markus Stadlmann Edinburgh-based Lloyds Banking Group has reported that UK household wealth has grown by £1.5 trillion or 19 per cent over the last year.

Don Peebles The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has called on the Scottish Government to seize the opportunity for fundamental change to the way it controls its finances.

Martin Watt and James Dickie. Aberdeenshire-based craft-beer group and crowdfunding pioneer BrewDog has raised £5 million in just 20 days as a result of its latest round of fundraising.

Credit ratings agency Fitch has placed the Clydesdale Bank on its 'rating watch negative' list following last week’s news that it is to demerge from Australian parent company, National Australia Bank. It means that the Glasgow-based lender, which includes Yorkshire Bank, is likely to have its cred

Antonio Horta-Osario The UK Treasury has sold another tranche of shares in taxpayer-backed Lloyds Banking Group, which it bailout at the height of the financial crisis in 2008.

Lynn Healy Wealth manager Bellpenny has bought Caledonia Edinburgh in one of two acquisition deals completed this week.

George Osborne Chancellor George Osborne may be set to sell-off 81 per cent state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland this year, even if it means the UK taxpayer taxing a hit on the deal.

The Law Society of Scotland’s financial benchmarking report shows improving fortunes for smaller law firms. The annual survey of law firms’ financial performance in 2013-14 has shown an overall increase from £64,000 to £69,000 in profits per equity partners. (Profits per equity partner are bef