Archive for November, 2008
Questions of Cash: Bank blames airline, airline blames bank: The Independent
Q. I bought air tickets on KLM’s website, using my Barclays’ debit card. But a different amount was taken from my account than was shown as the value of the transaction. This led to my account being noted as having a transaction pending of £1,000 – preventing me withdrawing funds from the account. I had [...]
Upward curve: Financial Times
Leicester’s Curve theatre, which opens on November 15, is a striking design from one of the world’s most respected architects, Rafael Viñoly. It is an exciting new cultural development that stakes a claim for the city to become the artistic capital of England’s East Midlands.
But Curve is much more than that. It is also a [...]
Housing market’s 1.5% boost: Primelocation
A dramatic 1.5% cut in the base rate has underlined the level of problems in the property and financial markets. The scale of the Bank of England’s rate cut caught analysts by surprise, with the base rate now falling to 3% - the lowest level since 1955.
For full story go to http://www.primelocation.com/news/housing-markets-boost/
House building plans ‘too ambitious’: Primelocation
Plans to build three million new homes by 2020 should be reconsidered given the state of the property and financial markets, the Government has been told by an influential group of MPs.
See http://www.primelocation.com/news/house-building-targets-too-ambitious/
PFI office rent programme delayed: Public Finance
The sale and leaseback of 65 government offices that was to have taken place under the Workplace 2010 programme has been suspended, Northern Ireland’s finance minister Nigel Dodds has announced. The PFI project will not now be procured until next year, at the earliest.
A statement by the Department of Finance and Personnel claimed that the [...]
Buying one hospital for the price of two: Derry Journal
Altnagelvin’s new £18m Laboratory and Pharmacy Services Centre is universally welcomed as an excellent replacement for poor quality facilities that were inefficiently spread across various buildings at the hospital campus.
But praise for the building is not the same as saying that the way it was ordered and financed was right. Both the Northern Ireland Audit [...]
Butlers advised six of hardest hit councils: Local Government Chronicle
Six of the seven councils facing the largest potential losses from investments in Icelandic banks were advised by one firm, Butler’s, analysis by LGC reveals. Only Haringey of the most affected seven local authorities was advised by another firm, Sector Treasury.
Asked for an explanation, Butler’s representative, Mike Sheard – the communications director of parent company [...]
Credit ratings agencies face examination: Local Government Chronicle
Nigh on one billion pounds buys an awful lot of bucks, even at current exchange rates. And there is a hell a lot of buck-passing going on when it comes to accepting responsibility for the £920m of investments and deposits in Icelandic banks potentially lost by local authorities.
Councils say they relied on credit ratings agencies’ [...]
Questions of Cash: ‘Why did Scottish Power need to track me down, for £149?’
Questions of Cash: ‘Why did Scottish Power need to track me down, for £149?’
Q: I have held 400 Scottish Power shares for several years. Scottish Power was recently acquired by Iberdrola. Apparently I was written to, asking whether I wished to sell my shares, but I cannot recall receiving such a letter. I have now [...]
