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The ‘bank of mum and dad’ has become an increasingly vital resource for today’s generation of first-time homebuyers, but it seems the once informal family agreements are now being drawn-up with strict legal constraints. According to lawyers, the benevolence of some parents starts and stops wit

Gail Clarke Gail Clarke is director of rural land and business, at Blackadders

The Moray Council needs to “significantly increase” the pace of change and improvement if it is to build on the progress made over the last two years, according to the Accounts Commission. A report published by the watchdog today looks at developments since a 2013 audit on how the council was me

Wages in the construction industry have risen at a faster rate than any other sector over the past 12 months, according to fresh analysis of the latest data. In the last year, average pay in the building trade shot up by 5.1 per cent, the examination of labour market statistics compiled by the Offic

Edinburgh-based insurance giant Standard Life has been hit by controversy after it was accused of overstepping the line between advice and guidance in a letter to customers that suggested they switch to a higher-charging fund. According to reports, thousands of customers were contacted urging them t

Harry Morgan Tilney Bestinvest has restructured the management of its Scottish operation and further strengthened its offering with the hiring of Harry Morgan in the new role of director of key clients for Scotland.

David Bennett Clydesdale Bank has announced the appointment of former Alliance & Leicester chief executive David Bennett, as non-executive director and deputy chair of the board.

Aberdeen accountants Anderson Anderson & Brown has become a WorkflowMax certified advisor, one of the first in Scotland. WorkflowMax, owned by accounting software firm Xero, is a subscription and cloud-based job management software program that enables service businesses to manage jobs more easi

Lloyds Banking Group has had to scramble to close a security flaw that potentially exposed the banking records on tens of thousands of Bank of Scotland customers. The vulnerability would have allowed criminals to open an account using only a person's name, address, and date of birth, and then view o

Britain’s biggest bank is to open a new Scottish hub for 400 workers as it looks to expand its operations north of the border. HSBC said its newest office, which is due to open in January, will provide space for the expansion of its Scottish workforce which already stands at more than 3,700 staff

David Murray Murray Capital Group has reported a £13.6 million pre-tax profit and a 54 per cent rise in the company's value to £35m.

A new investment vehicle that will provide up to 1,000 affordable homes for rent across Scotland has been launched. The Local Affordable Rented Housing Trust (LAR) is a Scottish charity set up to provide long term mid-market rented housing across Scotland.

A new Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Business should be charged with putting the welfare of local economies at the top of the next Scottish Government’s agenda, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Launching their Scottish Parliament 2016 manifesto, the 19,000 strong membership b

The UK’s five biggest supermarket chains are being forced to come up with official policies for what to do with their share of the estimated £2.5 million left in their self-service tills each year by absent-minded UK shoppers.