Search: financial focus

Stephen Thom and Graeme Finnie Scottish accountancy practice French Duncan has appointed Stephen Thom to the newly created position of Head of Corporate Tax, Glasgow.

New car sales in Scotland hit the skids last year after the global slowdown in the oil and gas sector limited spending, according to latest industry data. Registration numbers declined by nearly 0.5 per cent to 220,554, while the rest of the UK enjoyed a record year.

Five of the largest investment banks in the country used tax breaks and offset previous losses against any gains made last year to avoid paying any corporation in 2014, despite booking billions of pounds in profits, according to a new report. Figures from news agency Reuters have shown that JP Morga

Darren Jackson Former Scotland striker Darren Jackson has been approved by the Accountant In Bankruptcy with debts of £270,000.

Andrew Milligan Next year looks to be a challenging year for investors, with different countries and asset classes at such different stages of the investment cycle, according to Edinburgh-based global investment manager Standard Life Investments.

Martin Gilbert Six executive board members at Aberdeen Asset Management have scooped an average of more than £2.25m each as bosses at the wealth manager saw their pay packages fall after a troubled year.

Clydesdale Bank is still failing to meet the required two month limit on dealing with customer’s Payment Protection Insurance complaints with some complainants being forced to wait more than three times that long. The persistent failure of the bank to address its issues in dealing with the legacy

The price of oil has slumped to levels not seen for more than a decade with a barrel of Brent crude hitting $36.05 yesterday - its weakest since July 2004. Just 18 months ago, in June 2014, the price of oil was traded at $115 per barrel.

The number of business start-ups in Scotland increased by around 10 per cent in the third quarter, according to latest figures. Data from the Committee of Scottish Bankers shows there were 2,990 start ups in the three months to September up 9.6 per cent, 262 up on the 2,728 recorded in the same peri

Argyll and Bute Council has made solid improvement but needs to build on this for the future, says the Accounts Commission. A report published today by the local government watchdog welcomes progress since 2013 in the council's decision making, scrutiny, governance, and improving relationships both

Ian Marchant Ian Marchant, former chief executive of energy giant SSE, has made his first investment in social enterprise, backing a community bakery in Edinburgh.

Andy Hornby Renewed pressure has been turned up on the Bank of England and other regulators to take action against senior HBOS executives after the author of one report into the near collapse of the bank said his investigation had been too narrow.

High Court Edinburgh Two men jailed for a total of ten years after extortion of £60,000 and attempting to extort £375,000 more from a Fife property developer.

UK taxpayers can start managing their tax affairs online after the formal launch of personal accounts by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). By mid-December more than a million taxpayers completing their self-assessment will have been directed to their online personal tax account, HMRC said as it set out

Northumberland Street (via Google Maps) Edinburgh has the highest number of expensive streets in Scotland, according to research from Bank of Scotland.