HBOS has frozen the accounts of Andy Hornby, its chief executive, after a thief stole his identification details and withdrew thousands of pounds in cash, reports The Independent.

Bradbury Hamilton has highlighted the benefits paraplanners can provide firms with the day-to-day administration duties.

Coventry Building Society has increased its pre-tax profits by 8% during the first six months of 2008.

Shares in Lloyds TSB tumbled in early trading on Thursday on the back of reports it has raised its stake in troubled lender Bradford & Bingley (B&B).

Close Wealth Management's fee-based business model is the reason it has been awarded a three-year contract extension to advise the two monthly winners of the £1m Premium Bond jackpot.

F&C has poached Barclays Global Investors' (BGI) Frank Henze as its new head of product development.

The FSA has fined five motor dealers for serious failings in the sale of payment protection insurance (PPI).

AXA Wealth Management has added the Estate Planning account to its range of offshore propositions.

North's John Husselbee is still holding between 55pc and 70pc cash weightings in recently-launched fund of funds portfolios run on behalf of Way Group, Sentinel Universal and Unizone because of uncertain markets.

Schroders says it has no immediate plans to write new covered call options for its Income Maximiser fund in its next quarter, the first time this has happened since the vehicle was launched in November 2005.