News

Angela Mitchell As the Scottish Government prepares to announce its spending plans for 2016/17 today, global accountant Deloitte has calculated that boosting productivity and freeing up just one hour of public sector workers’ time each year can deliver savings of £7.2 million in Scotland.

There were 8,500 loans made to first-time buyers in Scotland during the third quarter of 2015 - a 4 per cent rise on the previous quarter and a 16 per cent year-on-year increase, according to latest Council of Mortgage Lender data. The CML figures show that loans made to first-time buyers in Scotlan

Between August and October the number of Scots out of work fell by 8,000 to stand at 156,000, according to official figures. Latest data from the Office of National Statistics shows that UK unemployment also fell during the same period.

Spending reductions and benefit cuts imposed by the UK government could make Scotland’s poorest families more than £800 a year worse, a think-tank has warned. IPPR Scotland said £500 million would be cut from those on benefits by 2020 as a result of decisions made by Chancellor George Osborne â€

Nicola Sturgeon A final deal on the fiscal framework accompanying the Scotland Bill has to be in place by February, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has agreed with Prime Minister David Cameron at a meeting in Downing Street yesterday.

First-time buyers borrowed £4.6bn for home-owner house purchase in October, up 10 per cent on September and October last year, according to latest data from the Council for Mortgage Lenders. The total of 29,900 loans was up 8 per cent month-on-month and 3 per cent year-on-year.

SFT has helped release £850m of private sector investment into the heart of Edinburgh The funding programme behind a raft of community infrastructure projects has delivered schemes worth £135 million in its latest financial year.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is calling for contributions on how regulation is working in relation to the social investment market. Social investment is a term used to describe investments where the aim is to provide a wider social benefit, rather than the primary driver being a purely fina

Drysdale Graham Aberdeen Harbour has appointed Pinsent Masons as legal adviser for its proposed Harbour Expansion Project.

Scotland’s corporate dealmakers are optimistic about the prospect of heightened mergers and acquisitions activity over the next 12 months, according to a new survey carried out by professional services firm, KPMG. KPMG surveyed some of the country’s leading dealmaking professionals at its M&

Edinburgh-based Standard Life Investments has reached the maximum equity target it set for its second European Real Estate Club. The global asset manager, which is one of the largest real estate investors in Europe, has completed its final close on the fund, raising over €391 million of equity fro

Glasgow-based Clydesdale Bank is to sink £300 million into bolstering its operations ahead of its stock market flotation in the spring. Parent firm National Australia Bank is offering 25 per cent of CYBG -as it will be named for the float - to institutions, with the remainder retained by NAB invest

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.

Danny O'Neill Ediston Real Estate, one of Scotland’s most active property investment, development and asset management companies has launched a new housebuilding brand, Ediston Homes, with its first major project already underway in Edinburgh.

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.