News

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

Employment levels in Scotland reached a record high in 2015, according to new figures released today by the Scottish Government. Scotland’s Chief Statistician published statistics on Regional Employment Patterns in Scotland from the Annual Population Survey (APS) showing employment levels in Scotl

Kerry Norval Kerry Norval is a senior solicitor at Burness Paull's Edinburgh office

A clan chief who died late last year and whose ancestors fought alongside Robert the Bruce has left an £18 million fortune to his family. Angus MacDonald Lockhart, the head of the Lockhart clan, passed away suddenly in November last year after falling ill at home aged 69.

Edinburgh Business School is launching a £250,000 scholarship scheme to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Under the scheme, 25 individuals, resident in Scotland, will be awarded a fully-funded place to study the Edinburgh Business School Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme, delivered by

Claire Monaghan Claire Monaghan, audit partner at RSM, has been named one of the top ‘35 under 35’ on this year’s Accountancy Age prestigious list.

Mortgage lending in Scotland fell by seven per cent last month after a surge in property buying to beat the stamp duty surcharge deadline of April 1 came to an end. Scotland was the only region to increase its mortgage sales in March, while Northern Ireland saw the steepest fall, down by almost 20 p

Dundee-based Alliance Trust Savings has completed an upgrade of its advised platform allowing advisers to access model porfolios for the first time. The move to tech firm GBST’s Composer platform is being managed in phases, with existing advised clients yet to be migrated from the old propriety sy

Martin Gilbert Martin Gilbert, chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management swapped his suit and ipad for decorators’ overalls and a paint roller on Friday as he joined colleagues to take part in Global Volunteering Day as shares in the multi-billion company he founded rose two per cent after he h

Benny Higgins Benny Higgins, the chief executive of Edinburgh-based Tesco Bank, spent more than £18,000 on London taxis in just eight months last year on trips to upmarket restaurants, private members’ clubs and the supermarket’s various head offices, The Guardian, has reported.

Andrew Holloway Grant Thornton has called on the Scottish Government to place the 'digital economy' at the heart of its growth priorities throughout the next term of the Scottish Parliament.