Santander, Britain's second largest retail bank, has this morning announced a surprise €7.2bn rights issue.

HBOS has delivered a swift rejection to a plan by two Scottish bankers to save the banking giant as a standalone entity.

Friends Provident has updated its link-up with technology solutions provider True Potential to offer advisers real-time valuations for its whole of life and endowment policies.

If September was incredible, then what is there to say about October? Looking back, at my last blog, it appears almost as though it could have been written six months ago and in a different world.

Hilary Aldridge and Phil Doel have stepped in to look after F&C's Stewardship Growth and Income portfolios in the absence of lead manager Ted Scott, who is taking three months leave.

Barclays and HSBC are under increasing pressure to pass on yesterday's historic base rate cut to their lenders after every other major lender did so on Friday.

Star F&C fund manager Ted Scott has taken three months' sick leave after a recurrence of an injury sustained following a skiing accident 20 years ago.

Barclays Wealth has entered the fixed income bond market with a new five-year product playing on the strong demand for long-dated securities.

Lord Chancellor Jack Straw is set for talks with Isle of Man (IoM) chief minister Tony Brown to discuss the UK's relationship with the crown dependency.

Trigold is looking for broker feedback on the equity release market as it seeks to expand its range of services.