03/08/2012

BBVA to acquire bailed-out Spanish bank

BBVA will also be shielded from most losses on Unnim’s real estate holdings, a spokesman for the Bilbao, Spain-based bank said in a telephone interview.

03/01/2012

London firms call on new Mayor to invest in the city

London First’s chief executive, Baroness Jo Valentine, said: “We expect the incoming Mayor to support measures that not only bring jobs and prosperity, but ensure that London is truly open for business.”

02/26/2012

3 Big European Banks Post Losses

Burdened by their exposure to Greek government debt and other damaged assets, Royal Bank of Scotland, Crédit Agricole in France and Dexia, a French-Belgian bank, all reported quarterly losses.

02/26/2012

Lloyds net loss surges to $4.4bn on exposure

A day after Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) said its annual net losses had almost doubled, LBG reported that its loss after tax ballooned to £2.78 billion ($4.38bn) in 2011 from £320 million in 2010.

02/26/2012

Europe's banks finding little appetite for Middle East debt

The institutions want to sell the debt to boost their balance sheets, but are finding little appetite for it among regional banks and other international lenders, which think new loan issues emerging locally offer better value.

02/26/2012

HSBC to refocus on Asia as £14bn profit looms

The chief executive, Stuart Gulliver, presenting his first set of full-year results, is expected to impress the need for HSBC to concentrate on commercial banking in both Asia and Latin America if it is to continue to grow.

02/22/2012

International trade set to drive UK economic growth

HSBC is playing its part in growing the UK economy, in 2011 UK exports rose 13% and over the same period our export related business grew 33%, within which trade finance lending underpinning exports grew 91%.

02/20/2012

Nordea releases annual report

Return on equity was around 11 per cent for 2011. Capital adequacy has increased during the year, and the core tier 1 capital ratio is over 11 per cent. The solid financial development has been important for Nordea's ability to maintain a strong fun

02/17/2012

Spain moves to ease bank merger fears

Banks in Spain, which have been encouraged by new legislation to swallow weaker rivals, will not be railroaded into “unnatural mergers” that would risk frightening international investors and draining foreign capital from the sector, the offic