Abbey

ABBEY IS PLANNING to open up to 100 new branches across the UK as part of an ambitious organic expansion programme designed to treble the British operations of Banco Santander Central Hispano, Abbey's Spanish owner, over the next ten years, The Times...

Scottish Provident has nnounced it is entering the pension term assurance market on May 22nd.

THE BREAK-UP of Equitable Life has moved closer following the launch yesterday of a vulture fund, Synesis, backed by some of the City's most powerful institutions, to buy out distressed annuity and pension liabilities, reports The Guardian .

RESOLUTION IS IN talks to buy Abbey National's life insurance business in a deal that could be worth up to £4bn, reports The Guardian .

Sue Wilkinson has resigned her post at Abbey for Intermediaries and is leaving at the end of the month to set up her own consultancy firm.

UP TO 2,000 more workers at the Abbey banking group will be made redundant on top of the 4,000 who have already gone, its Spanish owners said yesterday, reports The Scotsman .

Abbey Financial Markets and Capita Financial Managers have launched the UK's first open-ended residential property derivatives investment fund.

THE UNCERTAIN state of the housing market is emphasised by a survey today which suggests house prices fell by 1.3% in 2005, according to the Financial Times.

FEARS ARE growing thousands of older homeowners may be mis-sold equity release plans which allow cash to be released from their property, suggests the Times , as figures reveal the equity release market has topped £5bn.

A 10-year structured product has been launched by Abbey that offers a guarantee of original capital invested and 200% of the upside in the Halifax House Price Index.