Financial Services 2000 - Company News Summary

Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank are to get a new £80m call centre in Kilmarnock, which will be operated by parent company National Australia Group and create about 500 jobs.
22-Dec-2000

Morgan Stanley Dean Witter is to buy Quilter, the fund manager, for £172m, and is planning to expand the business by adding new locations across the UK.
22-Dec-2000

Peel Hunt, the stockbroking and corporate finance house, is to be acquired by KBC Bank of Belgium for £218m.
19-Dec-2000

Robert Fleming Insurance Brokers has undergone a management buy-out from Chase Manhattan of the US for undisclosed terms.
18-Dec-2000

American Express is to acquire Sharepeople Group for £30m, and the online brokerage will be named American Express Sharepeople.
18-Dec-2000

Alltel Mortgage Solutions of the US is planning to create up to 250 new jobs at its European base in Bingley, due to rising demand for the supply of software and processing services to mortgage companies.
15-Dec-2000

EPO.com, the online share distribution company, has been acquired by EO of Sweden for undisclosed terms.
14-Dec-2000

Total System Services, the US payment card processor, is to set up a customer services centre in York, which is expected to create about 50 jobs initially.
13-Dec-2000

Barclays has announced plans to recruit a further 1,000 staff at its Sunderland call centre over the next year.
13-Dec-2000

Lovells is to merge with Ekelmans Den Hollander of the Netherlands to create a combined law firm with 280 partners and 1,200 lawyers.
12-Dec-2000

Lincoln Financial Group is to set up a telephone and internet-based operation to sell insurance protection and savings products, having reversed a decision to stop taking new business in the UK.
11-Dec-2000

Unisys has agreed a deal with Barclays and Lloyds TSB to create a major cheque-handling operation at the Girobank centre in Bootle, with the creation of hundreds of jobs.
11-Dec-2000

Aberdeen Asset Management is to acquire Themis Investment Management from Charterhouse for £3.7m.
06-Dec-2000

Standard Life Investments is to set up an office in Hong Kong in order to expand its fund management business into Asia, and is also considering plans to launch a new operation in the US.
06-Dec-2000

Bank of Scotland is to acquire ICC Bank from the Irish government for about £210m, while the TSB state-owned bank is being acquired by Irish Life & Permanent for £263m.
06-Dec-2000

TD Waterhouse is planning to add a High Street presence to its existing online and telephone-based stockbroking business, and hopes to open eight shops over the next year.
04-Dec-2000

Egg is considering plans to set up a network of high street branches to support its online banking business, and is expected to run a trial next year.
28-Nov-2000

Cazenove is planning to abandon its partnership structure and become a public company, in order to raise funds for the expansion of its stockbroking business into continental Europe.
28-Nov-2000

Eurobenefits, the supplier of an online staff benefits service, is planning to double the staff at its London, Marlow and Edinburgh offices to 120 by February, and is considering plans for a £500m flotation.
27-Nov-2000

Barclays is to recruit a further 600 staff at its telephone banking call centre in Coventry over the next year, taking the total to 1,300.
24-Nov-2000

Egg has announced plans to recruit an additional 180 people at its internet banking call centre in Derby.
22-Nov-2000

OnLine Finance, the General Motors subsidiary that provides finance facilities to car dealers and their customers, is to relocate from London to Treforest near Pontypridd, with the creation of 400 jobs.
21-Nov-2000

Aberdeen Asset Management is creating a further 125 jobs in its customer services, dealing and registration departments in Aberdeen.
21-Nov-2000

ING Barings is to be absorbed into its Dutch parent group's wholesale business, following a decision to drop plans to build a global investment bank, and about 1,700 London-based employees will be affected by the move.
20-Nov-2000

Yorkshire Building Society has approached all 67 UK building societies about plans to set up a branch sharing scheme that would allow customers to perform transactions at any branch free of charge.
20-Nov-2000

Bank of Ireland is seeking acquisitions to expand its Bristol & West operation in the UK, and wants to diversify the business into higher-margin areas.
17-Nov-2000

City Invoice Finance is to extend its national network of business finance centres by opening an office in Cardiff.
16-Nov-2000

Scottish & Southern Energy is planning to expand its new Simple2 online financial services business by targeting corporate customers in continental Europe.
16-Nov-2000

Jardine Lloyd Thompson has acquired Abbey National Benefit Consultants for £22m, as part of a strategy to expand its pensions administration business.
16-Nov-2000

Lloyds TSB has announced that 1,000 jobs will be created at a new call centre in Pencoed near Bridgend next year, which is more than double the number originally planned.
15-Nov-2000

Abbey National is investing £55m in the launch of its new Inscape wealth management business, and expects to expand the operation into continental Europe.
15-Nov-2000

Lincoln Financial Group is planning to close its Uxbridge office and relocate about 500 jobs to its site in Gloucester, following a decision by its US parent company to transfer the salesforce to Inter-Alliance Group.
14-Nov-2000

Durlacher has received a £30m cash injection from three institutions in order to expand its portfolio of technology-based investments.
14-Nov-2000

Alliance & Leicester is planning to invest £15m in the launch of an online wealth management service early next year.
14-Nov-2000

Schroders is planning to expand its new private bank across Europe, increasing its presence in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria and eastern Europe.
14-Nov-2000

Moneyextra has sold its online consumer financial services business to Bristol & West for £26m, and has also announced plans to acquire Crisp Computing for £29m, focus on the supply of e-commerce solutions and change its name to Exchange FS.
13-Nov-2000

Aon has acquired Needham Johnson, the Wimbledon-based broker that specialises in fine art and antiques, for undisclosed terms.
10-Nov-2000

Travelex has acquired Thomas Cook's financial services division for £440m, in order to expand its foreign exchange business with an additional 300 retail outlets.
09-Nov-2000

Kensington Group is planning to raise up to £50m in a flotation in order to expand its mortgage lending business.
07-Nov-2000

Dresdner Kleinwort Benson is to acquire Elderstreet Investments for undisclosed terms, and will help the venture capital operator expand into continental Europe by setting up a team in Germany.
07-Nov-2000

Thrings & Long, the Bath-based law firm, has merged with Townsends of Swindon to create an enlarged legal resource for commercial and private clients in the South and South West.
06-Nov-2000

Ascot Drummond is to set up a new online accountancy office in Dundee with the creation of 50 jobs.
06-Nov-2000

Clifford Chance has announced plans to merge with Grimaldi e Associati, the Italian law firm.
06-Nov-2000

Boyes Turner, the law firm, is to relocate its 90 staff to larger premises in Reading next March.
06-Nov-2000

Ryan Insurance Group is to expand its insurance and financial services business in East Anglia by setting up a new office in Colchester and upgrading its communications system.
03-Nov-2000

Revenues Management Services is to create 150 new jobs in Preston, having won an extension on its contract to manage TV licensing payment schemes for the BBC.
03-Nov-2000

Edwards Geldard of Cardiff has merged with Eking Manning of the East Midlands to create a combined law firm with 40 partners and 300 staff.
03-Nov-2000

Abbey National and Bank of Scotland are in preliminary merger discussions that could lead to the creation of a £22bn banking group.
03-Nov-2000

Capita has bought the remaining 74% of Eastgate, the supplier of outsourcing services to the insurance industry, for £14m.
03-Nov-2000

CGNU is to take a £448m charge against the disposal of Marlborough Underwriting Agency to Berkshire Hathaway, in order to get out of its Lloyd's insurance business.
02-Nov-2000

Close Brothers is acquiring 80% of Olim, the fund management company, for £10m, and has also announced plans to buy Braemar Finance.
01-Nov-2000

Halifax is to open a £45m call centre in south Belfast next year, which will lead to the creation of up to 1,500 jobs over the next four years.
31-Oct-2000

Foreign & Colonial is setting up a new subsidiary called Cerebys to develop derivatives products for the UK insurance market.
30-Oct-2000

Westinsure Anada has bought Brunsdon, Swindon, and Frilsons Insurance Brokers for undisclosed terms, as part of a strategy to create a chain of brokerages covering the West Country.
27-Oct-2000

Tenon Group has acquired the non-audit operations of Williams Allan for £9m, which will enable it to supply services to a number of US companies operating in the Thames Valley.
27-Oct-2000

Antfactory is forming a £19m joint venture with Nikko Securities to invest in Japanese technology companies.
26-Oct-2000

Deloitte & Touche is to acquire the actuarial and insurance practices of Bacon & Woodrow, while B&W's remaining employee benefits and accounts business will be merged with Hewitt Associates.
25-Oct-2000

Aberdeen Asset Management has announced a conditional deal to acquire Equitilink of Australia for £56m.
23-Oct-2000

NewMedia Spark has acquired Internet Indirect for £73m, in order to expand its internet incubator fund.
23-Oct-2000

Churchill Insurance is seeking a further 20 staff for its new call centre on Teesside, which will take the total workforce to 450.
20-Oct-2000

Misys is to develop an internet portal for general insurance brokers in partnership with Axa, Groupama Insurances, Royal & Sun Alliance, Allianz Cornhill and Zurich.
19-Oct-2000

Amvescap is to acquire Perpetual, the independent investment manager, for £1.05bn.
19-Oct-2000

Lloyds TSB is to set up a new banking call centre in Pencoed, Bridgend, next year, with the creation of more than 400 jobs.
16-Oct-2000

Aberdeen Asset Management is to acquire Murray Johnstone of Glasgow for about £150m, as part of a strategy to become a leading retail fund manager.
11-Oct-2000

Prudential is to buy 88% of Core Pacific Securities Investment Trust Enterprise, the Taiwanese mutual fund company, for £71m, in order to expand its Asian business.
11-Oct-2000

Merrill Lynch is linking up with HSBC to set up a network of local investment centres, in order to provide a physical presence to support their online share dealing services.
09-Oct-2000

Man Group is buying the client brokerage accounts of First American Discount Corporation of Chicago for about £3m.
05-Oct-2000

CGNU is looking to acquire a mid-sized fund manager in the US, as part of the global expansion of its Morley Fund Management division.
04-Oct-2000

Cox Insurance is to sell Groves John & Westrup, the Liverpool-based cargo and pleasure craft insurer, to Munich Re for undisclosed terms.
04-Oct-2000

Unum is to set up a personal insurance office in Bristol next year, with the creation of up to 200 jobs by 2003.
03-Oct-2000

Royal London is to acquire Scottish Life, the pensions provider, for £1.1bn, which will lead to the relocation of Scottish Life's investment management arm to London.
03-Oct-2000

Schroders has won approval to set up a private bank called Schroder & Co, which will handle all of its private client business in the UK.
03-Oct-2000

Blackwood Trading of the US is planning to set up a day-trading centre for investors in the Holborn area of London in partnership with Tradition Financial Services, and regional centres may be added in Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh.
03-Oct-2000

Incuvest, the US venture capital group, is to set up a new operation in London and is looking to develop links with European universities and technology centres.
02-Oct-2000

Halifax is to recruit an additional 150 staff at its Card Services headquarters in Cardiff, taking the workforce to 450 by the end of the year.
29-Sep-2000

Murray Financial is to create up to 100 jobs at its new Insurancevillage financial services call centre in Worcester.
28-Sep-2000

Underwriter Insurance has raised a further £26m from Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Capital Partners to fund the expansion of its commercial insurance business, and has also announced a deal to provide underwriting management to GE Specialty.
28-Sep-2000

CGNU is to sell its US property and casualty insurance business to White Mountains of Bermuda for £2.17bn.
26-Sep-2000

Aberdeen Asset Management has acquired Barclays Property Investment from Barclays for £20m.
25-Sep-2000

KPMG is selling Orbis, the Channel Islands-based trust and company administration business, to Dresdner Bank for undisclosed terms.
25-Sep-2000

Towergate has acquired the general insurance arm of Medical Insurance Agency, which includes a call centre in Stevenage providing motor, home and surgery insurance.
22-Sep-2000

Britannia Building Society is looking to set up branch-sharing agreements with other mutuals, following the recently-announced deal with Yorkshire Building Society.
22-Sep-2000

Lloyds TSB is creating 170 new jobs at its mortgage unit in Scunthorpe, taking staff numbers to more than 400.
19-Sep-2000

Kingsbridge is to acquire John Murray, the Glasgow-based financial adviser, for £3.5m.
18-Sep-2000

Cavell Management Services has acquired Peter Blem Adjusters, the London market claims adjusting specialist, for undisclosed terms.
15-Sep-2000

IFG Group is planning to acquire Berkeley Jacobs Financial Services, the pensions adviser, for up to £12m.
14-Sep-2000

NewMedia Spark, the internet incubator, is to acquire New Media Investors, the corporate finance company, for £10m.
12-Sep-2000

Bristol & West is preparing to relocate more than 1,000 employees across Bristol to a new headquarters at Temple Quay.
11-Sep-2000

British Telecom has announced plans to set up a network of 10,000 automatic teller machines that will enable people to top up pre-paid mobile phone cards and buy electronic currency to spend on the internet.
11-Sep-2000

Tenon Group has acquired the non-audit operations of London-based Morison Stoneham for £10m, as part of a strategy to create a network of accounting services firms.
11-Sep-2000

Bradford & Bingley has announced plans to transform itself into a financial services intermediary by setting up a number of internet-based services to sell products from other companies.
11-Sep-2000

Centrica is looking to significantly expand its Goldfish financial services business by forming partnerships in credit cards, home loans and insurance.
08-Sep-2000

Bradford & Bingley has sold its company relocation division to Cendant for undisclosed terms, and Cendant will use the Windsor-based business as a base to expand its European operations.
08-Sep-2000

Viridian has acquired Footman James & Company, the Birmingham-based vehicle insurance broker, for undisclosed terms, and the business will be combined with its Open & Direct financial services division.
06-Sep-2000

Christows, the stockbroker, has been acquired by eVestment, the investment group, for £39m.
05-Sep-2000

Abbey National is to acquire Scottish Provident, the life assurer, for £1.8bn, but Scottish Provident's 38% stake in Aberdeen Asset Management will be sold off before the deal is completed.
04-Sep-2000

Standard Chartered has sold its Chartered Trust leasing and motor finance subsidiary to Lloyds TSB for £627m, and has also announced the acquisition of Chase Manhattan's credit card business in Hong Kong for £825m.
04-Sep-2000

ED&F Man is to acquire Glenwood Group, the US fund management company, for £76m.
01-Sep-2000

Grafton Recruitment of Belfast has won a £1m contract to open three new offices in central Europe for Expandia Bank, a Czech financial institution, which will involve the recruitment of 500 staff.
31-Aug-2000

Cox Insurance is planning to create up to 500 call centre jobs in Bradford over the next year, having won a number of new contracts from leading internet companies.
30-Aug-2000

Collins Stewart, the stockbroker, is considering plans for a flotation in order to raise up to £70m to develop its online share evaluation service and to reduce debt.
28-Aug-2000

Next is to create 220 jobs at its Ventura call centre in the Dearne Valley, having won a contract from Woolwich to manage a new integrated personal finance plan.
18-Aug-2000

Scottish Provident is selling its Scoplife insurance business in Greece to Aspis Pronia for undisclosed terms.
16-Aug-2000

Barclays has reached agreement for the £5.3bn acquisition of the Woolwich mortgage bank, which will result in about 100 branch closures and the loss of 1,000 jobs.
14-Aug-2000

Retail Decisions is planning to acquire International Card Enterprises for £11m, in order to expand its card payment services business.
11-Aug-2000

Firth Holdings, the cash shell, is planning a reverse takeover of Kinetech, the e-business subsidiary that is being demerged from broker Prebon Yamane.
08-Aug-2000

Andersen Consulting is to split from the accounting firm Arthur Andersen following a court ruling in Paris, but will have to give up the rights to the AC name.
08-Aug-2000

GlobalNetFinancial.com has acquired Dalton Kent Securities, the US financial brokerage, for £13m.
04-Aug-2000

Pearl Assurance is to open a new sales support centre in Cardiff later this year, with the creation of nearly 200 jobs.
04-Aug-2000

Prudential is to set up a second call centre for its Egg internet bank in Derby, with the creation of 1,500 jobs.
04-Aug-2000

Deloitte & Touche is planning to create more than 100 jobs over the next five years at a new pensions administration unit in Glasgow.
04-Aug-2000

Euro Sales Finance, the invoice discounting and factoring company, is planning to open four offices in France and two in Germany this year.
02-Aug-2000

Market Age, the supplier of online information to City traders, has raised £4.3m from PPM Ventures to fund the expansion of its product range and its sales operation.
02-Aug-2000

Great Universal Stores is selling its Highway Vehicle Management business in the US to Abbey National for £170m, and has also announced plans to close its General Guarantee Finance division with the loss of 600 jobs.
02-Aug-2000

Axa Sun Life has confirmed plans to relocate more work to India, which will lead to the loss of 250 jobs in Bristol and elsewhere in the UK.
02-Aug-2000

Charterhouse Securities is to be acquired by ING for £127m, enabling the Dutch company to expand its UK corporate broking business.
31-Jul-2000

Bank of Ireland is to acquire Chase de Vere, the Bath-based independent financial adviser, for £110m, and will combine the business with its Bristol & West division.
31-Jul-2000

Arthur Bown and PM Martin have merged their Leicester-based insurance broking businesses to form the Martin Bown Group.
31-Jul-2000

Nelson Money Managers is planning to create 180 jobs in the north west over the next three years, and will start by opening new offices in Northwich.
31-Jul-2000

Swiss Life is planning to relocate its Crosby-based client service centre to larger premises at Liverpool's Albert Dock, with the creation of 500 jobs.
28-Jul-2000

St James's Place Capital is forming a joint venture with Securitas Capital to develop a European financial services business.
27-Jul-2000

Abbey National is planning to expand its business banking service, in response to the Competition Commission's investigation into the domination of the market by the big four high street banks.
26-Jul-2000

CGNU is to sell General Accident Versicherung, its German general insurance business, to Gerling-Konzern Lebensversicherung for undisclosed terms.
26-Jul-2000

Littlewoods is planning to create a further 120 jobs at its new financial services call centre in Sunderland, which is a joint venture with the Woolwich.
26-Jul-2000

Lloyds TSB is forming a £20m joint venture with Antfactory called Valuefactory Ventures, which will set up internet businesses in the financial services sector.
25-Jul-2000

Linklaters is to merge with Oppenhoff & Radler of Germany, consolidating its position as one of Europe's leading law firms specialising in mergers and acquisitions work.
24-Jul-2000

Northern Rock is hoping to get planning permission next month for a new £30m banking headquarters in Gosforth, Newcastle, and plans to create 300 jobs annually over the next seven years.
24-Jul-2000

The Post Office is to create about 40 jobs at a new £5m banking administration centre at the Nexus Point business park in Birmingham, and a further 180 staff will be relocated from two existing centres at Castle Vale and Castle Bromwich.
24-Jul-2000

Churchill Insurance is to open a new claims unit in Ipswich in October, with the creation of 120 jobs.
21-Jul-2000

Alliance & Leicester is to rename its Girobank small-business division to Alliance Business Banking, and is also looking to set up a joint venture with an invoice discounting and factoring supplier.
20-Jul-2000

Seymour Pierce is to acquire PFM, the asset management group, for up to £13m.
20-Jul-2000

Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance is to set up a new headquarters for its Alex Lawrie financial services business at the Banbury Cross Business Park in Banbury later this year.
19-Jul-2000

RP Hodson has bought a 76% stake in John Wimble Insurance Brokers, the London City brokerage, for about £1.8m.
19-Jul-2000

MGt is to create a further 500 jobs at its customer relations management business in Fife over the next two years, following a £4m investment.
17-Jul-2000

Bridgend Group is to undergo a reverse takeover by Hemscott.net, the online financial information company that is also raising £16m in a share placing.
14-Jul-2000

Dial Direct is to buy 0700 2 Insure, the Redditch-based insurance intermediary that collapsed last week, and expects to re-employ up to 130 staff.
14-Jul-2000

Jellyworks, the internet investment vehicle, is to be acquired by Shore Capital in a £64m deal that is conditional on Shore joining Aim.
12-Jul-2000

Propertyfinder, the online estate agency, has been acquired by a consortium of Arts Alliance and Hamptons International in a £5.5m deal.
10-Jul-2000

Royal London, the life assurer, is to create a further 180 jobs in Wilmslow, Cheshire, but 450 more jobs are being shed in Colchester following its acquisition of United Assurance.
07-Jul-2000

CPP is looking to recruit a further 500 staff at its credit card call centre in York this year.
06-Jul-2000

Culver Holdings, the insurance broker, is acquiring Aortech Systems, the supplier of IT solutions to the travel industry, for £4.5m.
06-Jul-2000

The Industrial Development Board is in negotiations with Insurance Advisory Service about plans to set up a new call centre in west Belfast in September, with the creation of 100 jobs.
30-Jun-2000

Clifford Chance, the law firm, has confirmed plans to relocate from the City of London to Canary Wharf.
29-Jun-2000

Limit is to be acquired by QBE of Australia for £375m, which will make QBE the biggest Lloyd's of London insurer.
29-Jun-2000

Esure is to set up a call centre in Manchester for its online insurance business, creating 70 jobs this year and several hundred over the next few years.
29-Jun-2000

Baker Tilly is to merge with Fraser Russell to create a combined accountancy group with almost 1,000 employees at 17 locations.
27-Jun-2000

Beeson Gregory is to set up a fund management division, as part of a strategy to develop a financial services business around its skills in small companies.
27-Jun-2000

Marsh is planning to create 1,200 jobs in the UK over the next five years, with moves to sell insurance broking and consultancy services to small and medium-sized businesses.
27-Jun-2000

WH Ireland, the Manchester-based stockbroker, is planning to raise £1.2m in a flotation on Aim in order to fund the expansion of its London office.
26-Jun-2000

Halifax has acquired Bank One's UK credit card operation, and plans to relocate most of its existing cards business to Cardiff.
23-Jun-2000

Hampden Agencies and SOC Group are to merge to create the largest members' agency in the Lloyds insurance market, and their tax consultancy divisions will also be merged.
22-Jun-2000

Merrill Lynch is to set up a new customer service centre for its global online banking business in Leamington Spa, with the creation of 400 jobs.
22-Jun-2000

Freshfields has announced plans to merge with Bruckhaus Westrick Heller Lober of Germany to create a combined law firm with 30 offices in 19 countries.
21-Jun-2000

Apax Partners is planning to merge its investment banking division with Gold-Zack Group of Germany, and the business will be renamed Altium Capital.
20-Jun-2000

Knutsford is to acquire WILink, the US-based supplier of financial information, for £55m, as part of a strategy to transform itself into an online investment bank and information group.
19-Jun-2000

Britannic is investing £25m in the launch of Evergreen Retirement Assurance, in order to offer financial services to pensioners.
16-Jun-2000

PricewaterhouseCoopers has set up a new regional headquarters building in Cardiff city centre, in order to strengthen its position in the Welsh market for accountancy and management consultancy services.
15-Jun-2000

Winterthur Life is to cut its ties with the 490-strong direct salesforce of Colonial Life UK, and may relocate the headquarters of the recently-acquired business from Chatham to Basingstoke.
14-Jun-2000

Capital One is planning a £60m expansion at its credit card call centre in Nottingham, with the creation of up to 1,200 jobs.
13-Jun-2000

Imperial Consolidated Group is planning to recruit more than 100 new staff over the next two years at its financial services call centre and offices on the former RAF Binbrook base near Grimsby.
13-Jun-2000

Claims Direct is planning to raise about £100m in a flotation next month, in order to fund the expansion of its personal injury claims business.
12-Jun-2000

Skandia Life is planning to expand its international finance business in Southampton with the creation of about 270 jobs, while 500 staff based in the present offices will be relocated to Mountbatten House in Grosvenor Square.
12-Jun-2000

Beenz.com, the developer of a virtual currency for the internet, has raised £33m in second-round funding in order to develop its business in 15 countries.
07-Jun-2000

Brewin Dolphin is to acquire Hill Osborne, the Leicester-based stockbroker, for up to £31m, which will expand its branch network to 31.
06-Jun-2000

Domestic & General is to create a further 100 jobs at its insurance call centre in Nottingham.
06-Jun-2000

Bennetts GB is to set up an insurance call centre in Worcester, with the creation of up to 200 jobs over the next 12 months.
06-Jun-2000

Edinburgh Fund Managers has acquired Northern Venture Managers, the Newcastle-based private equity firm, for up to £9m.
05-Jun-2000

RapidInsure is planning to raise £6m in a share issue in order to fund the development of its online insurance shop.
02-Jun-2000

NewMedia Spark has acquired Softtechnet.com, the rival internet incubator fund, for £30m, and has also announced plans to expand into India.
30-May-2000

Royal London Insurance is to shed 300 of the 1,200 jobs at its customer service department in Colchester, in order to transfer the operation to the former United Assurance head office in Wilmslow, Cheshire, where 100 jobs will be created.
26-May-2000

Link is to recruit up to 15 new providers of cash machines following a decision to allow non-banks to join its network, which will lead to the installation of thousands of new machines.
25-May-2000

Barclays has announced plans to spend £325m on e-commerce this year, including the development of an online savings account and a share-dealing facility for mobile phones.
24-May-2000

Northern Bank is to expand its customer service centre in Dunmurry in order to support the retail operations of its Republic-based sister National Irish Bank, with the creation of 42 jobs.
24-May-2000

Tradepoint is considering plans to form an alliance with the Swiss stock exchange to develop a pan-European trading platform.
23-May-2000

Proudfoot Consulting has sold its Japanese management consulting business to local management for about £29m.
23-May-2000

Marsh & McLennan is planning to recruit 100 staff at its new Affinity Group Division in Witham, Essex, in order to focus on employee benefit and specialist insurance packages.
22-May-2000

EDS is planning to recruit 400 staff at a new £8m financial services call centre in Peterlee.
22-May-2000

Gleacher, the Wall Street investment bank, is planning to set up an office in London, and will then spin off a new company called GXi to be floated on the London Stock Exchange.
19-May-2000

3i is acquiring SFK Finance of Finland for an initial £6.9m, in order to expand its share of the venture capital market in Scandinavia.
19-May-2000

Norwich Union is to relocate up to 230 jobs from Norwich to London, having decided to combine the administrative support for its asset management business with that of CGU.
19-May-2000

Lombard Street Research, the financial research house, has undergone a management buy-out from Gerrard Group for undisclosed terms.
16-May-2000

Zurich Financial Services is to relocate its specialist life assurance arm from Fareham to Swindon over the next 12 months, with the transfer of up to 200 jobs.
16-May-2000

Dickinson Dees, the Tyneside-based law firm, is planning to open a Tees Valley office, employing 10-20 staff.
16-May-2000

Skipton Building Society has bought a majority stake in Computer Aided Sales Technology of Cambridge, in order to help with the development of an internet-based trading platform.
15-May-2000

Bank of Ireland is looking to acquire fund management and independent financial advice businesses in the UK, and has also announced plans to close some of its Irish branches and to relocate its administration centre outside Dublin.
12-May-2000

Schroders is to acquire Liberty International Pensions, the insurance and pensions company that is 80% owned by Liberty International, in a £60m deal.
12-May-2000

Devitt Insurance Services is to recruit an additional 100 staff when it relocates from east London to Romford in June.
12-May-2000

Bank of America is planning to expand its European investment banking operation, and is looking to recruit London-based analysts and mergers and acquisitions specialists.
11-May-2000

Lloyds TSB is to launch an internet bank called Evolvebank later this year, employing up to 100 staff at a call centre in Glasgow.
11-May-2000

Hogg Robinson, the business travel agency, has agreed to a £232m management buy-out, which will take the company private.
11-May-2000

CGU is to invest £40m in a new home-moving business on the internet, which will offer a database of 180,000 properties from more than 3,000 estate agents.
11-May-2000

Bank of Scotland has awarded a £190m contract to First Banking Systems, its joint venture with FI, for the development of commercial software and information systems.
10-May-2000

Hoodless Brennan is planning to float on Aim next month, in order to raise £30m for the expansion of its corporate stockbroking business.
09-May-2000

Lloyds TSB is planning to set up a telephone banking customer service centre at the Sunderland Enterprise Park, with the creation of 500 jobs, and a similar facility will also be developed in Newcastle.
09-May-2000

Windsor Life Assurance has shed 50 jobs at its life and pensions business in Harlow, and a further 200 will go when it relocates to Telford in August.
09-May-2000

Royal Bank of Scotland is to sell Ulster Bank Investment Managers to KBC Group of Brussels for about £60m.
08-May-2000

Friends Provident, the mutual life assurer, is considering plans to seek a stock market listing next year, and the proceeds would be used to expand its stakeholder pensions business.
05-May-2000

TD Waterhouse is planning to create 100 jobs at a new share dealing office in Bradford city centre.
05-May-2000

Skipton Building Society has sold its telephone share dealing business to TD Waterhouse for £82m.
04-May-2000

Winterthur Life is to acquire the UK life assurance business of Colonial of Australia for £301m.
03-May-2000

The Post Office is developing plans to set up a new banking network, in order to provide financial services to people without bank accounts and to replace the local branches being closed down by the leading banks.
02-May-2000

Cazenove is to launch a £250m technology fund called Cazenove New Europe Access Fund, to invest in new unquoted media and telecoms companies.
28-Apr-2000

Standard Chartered is to acquire banking group Grindlays from its Australian parent ANZ for £823m, in order to become the leading international bank in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
28-Apr-2000

Scottish Equitable is seeking 100 new staff for its insurance headquarters in Edinburgh.
27-Apr-2000

CGU is planning to invest £20m in e-commerce companies through a fund called Quester, in order to enhance its online capability by building relationships with external companies.
26-Apr-2000

Jardine Lloyd Thompson is to acquire Burke Ford Group for an initial £5m, to create a combined retail insurance business operating within the JLT Corporate Risks & Services division.
25-Apr-2000

Johnstone Douglas, the financial planning consultancy, has been acquired by Alexander Forbes of South Africa for £42m.
20-Apr-2000

Liffe is to lease 68,000 sq ft of trading floor to Knight Trimark, the US stockbroker that aims to employ 200 staff in London by the end of the year.
20-Apr-2000

Lynx is to acquire Bankhall Investment Management, the supplier of support services to independent financial advisers, for up to £114m, in order to develop an internet trading platform for the IFA market.
19-Apr-2000

HSBC is linking up with Merrill Lynch to develop a $1bn London-based online financial institution, in order to provide a range of services to non-US investors.
19-Apr-2000

Oyster Partners is receiving a £15m investment from Omnicom and Trader.com of the US, in order to fund the expansion of its London-based e-business consultancy.
19-Apr-2000

EPO.com of Sweden is to set up a London-based online investment bank in partnership with Virtuelles Emissionhaus of Germany, as part of a strategy to become a leader for new issues over the internet.
19-Apr-2000

Warburg Dillon Read, the investment banking arm of UBS, is planning to add a further 100 staff to its 1,150-strong European equities team.
19-Apr-2000

Linklaters is to set up a new company called Blueflag.com to sell its legal services online, and it will start with a £5m investment and about 25 staff.
17-Apr-2000

Singer & Friedlander has sold its Collins Stewart stockbroking business to management for £122m, in order to focus on banking and fund management.
14-Apr-2000

Julian Hodge Bank Group has won planning permission to set up a new headquarters at the Cardiff Gate Business Park, in order to house its 300 Cardiff-based staff.
14-Apr-2000

Irwin Mitchell, the law firm, is planning to launch an investment and fund management service, with the creation of 30 jobs in Sheffield.
13-Apr-2000

Robert Fleming, the investment bank, is to be acquired by Chase Manhattan of the US for £4.8bn, and job losses are expected to be minimal.
12-Apr-2000

Capita is to acquire IRG, the share registration service, for £100m, in order to expand its back-office administration services into the private sector.
12-Apr-2000

Brewin Dolphin is to acquire Broadbridge, the Yorkshire-based stockbroker, for up to £10m.
07-Apr-2000

Aberdeen Asset Management is to open an office in San Francisco, as part of a strategy to locate fund managers in the time zone of the assets they manage.
07-Apr-2000

Exchange Holdings is acquiring Aspect Online, the German internet financial services business, for £31m, and has also announced plans to change its name to Moneyextra.
06-Apr-2000

HSBC Select is to transfer 260 jobs from two sites in Newcastle-under-Lyme to a new Auto Direct call centre in Stoke-on-Trent, and a further 100 new jobs will be created.
06-Apr-2000

Royal Bank of Scotland has acquired a 39% stake in TrustMarque, the e-commerce security specialist, for £4m, in order to develop new internet applications.
05-Apr-2000

Idealab of the US is to set up a London office in order to invest in internet start-up companies and help its US partners expand into Europe.
04-Apr-2000

HSBC is to acquire Credit Commercial de France for £6.6bn, in order to create a platform to expand its banking business into continental Europe.
03-Apr-2000

Royal Bank of Scotland is selling Gartmore, its recently-acquired pension fund management business, to Nationwide Mutual Insurance of the US for £1.03bn.
31-Mar-2000

Raphael Zorn Hemsley is to sell its asset management and private stockbroking business to Savoy Asset Management for £2.5m, and has also announced plans to change its name to Numis Corporation.
29-Mar-2000

Wellington Underwriting is in merger talks with Limit, which could lead to the creation of the largest independent Lloyd's insurance group valued at £376m.
29-Mar-2000

Nationwide is to install 250 terminals at its building society branches to provide internet access and online banking to customers.
28-Mar-2000

Barclays and Freeserve are forming a £20m joint venture to develop a web portal for small businesses, and Barclays will switch its own-brand internet access service from British Telecom to Freeserve.
28-Mar-2000

Salomon Smith Barney of the US is to relocate its German equity sales operation from London to Frankfurt, as part of a strategy to move sales people closer to their local markets.
28-Mar-2000

Merrill Lynch is to set up a private banking office in King Street, Manchester, and further offices will be opened in Leeds and Dublin.
27-Mar-2000

Halifax is to acquire a controlling stake in St James's Place Capital for £760m, in order to develop a new internet business for the upmarket life assurer.
23-Mar-2000

Tenon Group has raised £50m to fund the acquisition of small accountancy firms and build up a nationwide business services network.
21-Mar-2000

Auto Direct, the vehicle insurance broker, is to open new offices at Trentham Lakes in Stoke this Easter, with the creation of 170 jobs.
20-Mar-2000

The Post Office is in discussions with leading High Street banks about the possibility of setting up a new banking network that would be available through its 19,000 branches.
20-Mar-2000

Greatminster has sold its Yachtline marine insurance business to management for undisclosed terms.
17-Mar-2000

Cattles is planning to expand its network of 335 consumer credit branches by opening one a week for three years.
10-Mar-2000

Pensions Trust is to relocate its national headquarters from London to Leeds later this year, which could create up to 300 jobs over the next ten years.
10-Mar-2000

Euro Sales Finance is to raise £50m in a rights issue in order to fund the expansion of its invoice discounting business, particularly in France and Germany.
09-Mar-2000

National Westminster Bank has sold Ulster Bank Investment Services to Northern Trust for £8.2m.
07-Mar-2000

Charles Schwab of the US is planning to set up a network of about 12 stockbroking branches in the UK, in order to provide account information and give share-dealing demonstrations.
07-Mar-2000

Schroders is to invest £100m in the launch of a private bank, with headquarters in London.
06-Mar-2000

Royal & Sun Alliance has announced plans to invest £40m in the creation of an internet venture to sell life and general insurance.
03-Mar-2000

UBS of Switzerland is to set up a new centre for its global direct financial services business in Edinburgh, with the creation of 400 jobs.
02-Mar-2000

Sun Life & Provincial has announced plans to set up a new internet site offering insurance, banking and share dealing, and will improve customer choice by also supplying products from competitors.
02-Mar-2000

Legal & General is to invest £30m in its internet operations this year, in order to sell term assurance, household insurance and with-profit bonds.
01-Mar-2000

Girovend Cashless Systems is planning to raise £18m in a share placing in order to fund the development of electronic payment systems for the internet.
01-Mar-2000

Littlewoods is to create up to 120 jobs at its financial services call centre in Sunderland, as part of a joint venture with Woolwich.
29-Feb-2000

Ernst & Young is planning a £7bn merger of its consultancy arm with Cap Gemini, to create a combined IT consultancy business with 58,000 employees worldwide.
29-Feb-2000

HSBC is to invest £1.2bn on the development of internet banking services this year, but is not planning to close branches or reduce staff numbers.
29-Feb-2000

Talisman House is to acquire Farlake Group, the asset management business, for £26m, as part of a strategy to build up a technology and media-focused financial services group.
29-Feb-2000

Exchange Holdings has acquired Fondex, the Swedish mutual fund trading system, for £22m, as part of a strategy to build up an internet-based financial services business across Europe.
29-Feb-2000

Derbyshire Building Society is planning to close up to 10 of its 61 branches in the next three years, with most staff being relocated to other sites.
28-Feb-2000

Jardine Lloyd Thompson, the insurance broker, is planning to invest £10m in the development of its e-commerce strategy over the next three years, and may expand its alternative risk transfer business by linking with a US institution.
25-Feb-2000

Deutsche Bank is planning to build a £30m office complex for its WM Company investment administration business in Edinburgh, with the creation of 500 jobs.
24-Feb-2000

Charles Stanley is linking up with Ecapital to develop a service that will enable its clients to deal in shares through their mobile phones.
24-Feb-2000

Royal London, the mutual life and pensions group, is set to acquire United Assurance in a £1.6bn deal, creating an enlarged group with premiums of £1bn and more than 3m customers.
23-Feb-2000

Bristol & West Investments is planning to raise up to £8m in a flotation on Aim, in order to expand its business supplying short-term bridging loans to house buyers.
21-Feb-2000

CGU and Norwich Union are planning a £18bn merger to create a leading supplier of general insurance, life and pensions, and up to 4,000 job losses are expected to follow.
21-Feb-2000

Abbey National is planning to spend £200m on e-commerce over the next year, and has also announced the development of an internet bank called Cahoot.
18-Feb-2000

ED&F Man is to sell off its commodities trading business to a management team for £587m, and the remaining financial services business will be renamed Man Group.
18-Feb-2000

Stewart Ivory, the fund manager, is to be acquired by Colonial First State Investments of Australia for £72m, prompting speculation that other smaller Scottish fund managers could also lose their independence.
18-Feb-2000

Lambert Fenchurch is to create about 100 new jobs in Swindon, in order to centralise its insurance systems and processing functions following the merger with Heath.
18-Feb-2000

Yorkshire Building Society is to create 200 new jobs over the next six months, due to rising demand for its mortgage and savings products on the internet.
18-Feb-2000

Marks & Spencer is considering Princes Dock in Liverpool and the Kings Business Park in Knowsley as potential sites for a new base for its financial services operation, which could lead to the creation of 1,000 jobs.
18-Feb-2000

Aberdeen Asset Management has acquired the fund management arm of the Irish state electricity company ESB for £5.8m.
17-Feb-2000

Bradford & Bingley is to acquire John Charcoal, the mortgage broker, for £100m, which will give it access to a further 150 independent financial advisers.
17-Feb-2000

Halifax is forming an alliance with BT Cellnet to develop an internet-based banking service for mobile phones, and is also planning to set up a £150m online insurance business.
17-Feb-2000

Allied Irish Banks is planning to spend £154m a year on the development of internet-based services.
17-Feb-2000

Alliance & Leicester is investing £15m in an internet bank project, which is expected to become a stand-alone offshoot.
15-Feb-2000

Peel Hunt, the stockbroking and corporate finance house, is planning to raise up to £15m through a flotation on Aim, in order to expand its marketmaking business.
14-Feb-2000

Zurich Financial Services is setting up a new customer service centre for its Strategic Partnerships subsidiary in Leeds, with the creation of 200 jobs.
14-Feb-2000

Chase De Vere is creating 50 new jobs at its independent financial advice business in Bath.
14-Feb-2000

Cox Insurance has acquired West Midlands-based Argent Insurance Group and the wholesale broker operation Brokersure, for a total £1.4m.
11-Feb-2000

National Westminster Bank has accepted the takeover bid from the Royal Bank of Scotland, which will lead to the creation of the UK's third largest bank and the loss of up to 14,500 jobs.
11-Feb-2000

CE Heath is to close its insurance broking office in Southend later this year with the loss of up to 300 jobs, in order to relocate the business to London, Swindon and South Woodford.
08-Feb-2000

Beeson Gregory, the stockbroker and corporate finance group, is to acquire the technology investment consultancy IndexIT Partnership, and is also planning a flotation to raise £30m.
04-Feb-2000

Abbey National has awarded a £3m contract to David McLean to install cash machines at about 250 Shell petrol stations.
03-Feb-2000

Allied Dunbar is to buy the distribution network of Abbey Life from Lloyds TSB for £100m, creating the largest direct life assurance salesforce in the UK.
02-Feb-2000

Admiral Insurance Services, the Cardiff-based direct motor insurer, is planning to recruit 600 staff over the next three years, taking the total to 1,800.
28-Jan-2000

Misys is to launch a new service that will enable digital TV viewers to buy insurance, in an expansion of its Screentrade internet trading business.
28-Jan-2000

JP Morgan is looking to recruit 100 people to its European investment banking division this year, taking the total headcount to 425.
27-Jan-2000

London Scottish Bank is seeking acquisitions to expand its consumer credit and debt collection business.
26-Jan-2000

Talisman House is acquiring Keith Harris Partnership for undisclosed terms, in a reverse takeover designed to create a new internet-based brokerage service.
20-Jan-2000

Schroders is selling its investment banking business to Citigroup of the US for £1.35bn, and £200m of the proceeds will be used to establish a private banking business.
19-Jan-2000

Old Mutual is to acquire Gerrard Group, the financial services company, for £525m, and expects to establish a private banking service using Gerrard's banking licence.
19-Jan-2000

Bank of Scotland has announced plans to expand its internet-based home loans business into more European countries, and will also introduce deposit accounts.
13-Jan-2000

Capital One is considering plans to expand its credit card centre in Nottingham, as part of an expansion plan that will create a further 1,000 jobs in its European operations.
12-Jan-2000

Halifax has started work on the development of a new £45m call centre in Belfast, and will work with Belfast City Council and external agencies to recruit up to 1,500 staff over the next four years.
11-Jan-2000

The Post Office is planning to expand the network of cash machines in its retail outlets from 168 to 3,000, and talks are taking place with banks and building societies.
10-Jan-2000

Grant Thornton has bought the Norwich office of KPMG, and 60 staff will join GT while others will relocate to KPMG's offices in Cambridge and Ipswich.
08-Jan-2000

Clifford Chance has completed a three-way merger with Rogers & Wells of the US and Punder, Volhard, Weber & Axster of Germany, to create a combined law firm with 2,700 lawyers worldwide.
05-Jan-2000

Jellyworks has raised a further £5m in a share placing, and now has about £17m to invest in internet start-up companies.
05-Jan-2000

Old Mutual of South Africa has sold its UK life insurance business to Century Life for £75m, which will involve the transfer of 150,000 customers.
05-Jan-2000