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City watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has today announced the level at which it will consult to cap early exit charges for those consumers wishing to make use of new pension freedoms. The FCA has proposed that for existing contract-based personal pensions, including workplace personal

Sajid Javid Plans to make switching providers quicker and easier across a range of sectors, including energy companies, phone providers and banks, are being considered by the UK government.

The UK Government has announced wide ranging proposals which, if brought into effect, will result in the biggest change to UK insolvency and restructuring procedures since the introduction of administrations in 2002. The proposals are aimed at contributing to an effective insolvency regime, promotin

Less than half (43 per cent) of Scotland’s SMEs have done business internationally, lagging behind the national UK average of 60 per cent and London at 76 per cent, according to new research. The data from TransferWise for Business, gathered from a survey of SMEs across the UK about their experien

A new report by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) shows that half of all small firms think the UK’s roads and public transport system have deteriorated in recent years. Only one in 10 small business owners thought roads and public transport had got better - demonstrating a real need to prio

Demand for professional contractors in Scotland rose 21 per cent year-on-year to April 2016, according to research from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo). The data, provided by recruitment software company, Innovantage, revealed that significant growth was experienced across

Research by Alliance Trust Savings has found the single biggest long-term financial worry among retail investors is that their savings will not be enough to see them through retirement. The Dundee-based platform's survey of over 1,000 retail investors asked: 'What is your single biggest worry about

Glasgow-based Clydesdale Bank has reported underlying pre-tax earnings for the six months to March 31, including from its Yorkshire Bank operation, of £107million - down 4.2 per cent on the same period last year. Bottom line profits of £58million for the latest period also came in more than 60 per

The National Audit Office (NAO) has found that the quality of service at HMRC "collapsed" over an 18-month period between 2014 and 2015 amid staff cuts and the rolling out its new digital strategy. The NAO said taxpayers who were forced to hang on the phone while calling HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC

Politicians have grilled PwC bosses over why the company described beleaguered British high street retailer BHS as a ‘going concern’ just days before it was sold to a consortium with no retail experience for £1. MP’s sitting on the joint business, innovation and skills and work and pensions c

Alister Link Aberdeen-based independent financial advisory firm Central Investment has expanded its growing team further with the appointment of Alister Link.

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson, veteran of Standard Life Investments’ real estate team, has announced that he is to end his 25 year career with the firm this year to pursue other interests.

One third of the largest firms are withholding key information from annual reports, according to a new study of FTSE 100 companies carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the Chartered Management Institute and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. The study

The value of Scotland’s commercial property sales in the first quarter of 2016 fell by over 40 per cent, according to new figures from the Registers of Scotland. The figures, analysed by the Scottish Property Federation, show that the value of commercial property sales in Q1 2016 was £619m, compa

Home-owners in Scotland borrowed £1.8bn for house purchase during the first three months of this year, the highest total borrowed for house purchase in the first quarter of a year north of the border since 2010. The total was down 22 per cent quarter-on-quarter but up 1 per cent year-on-year.