Aegon UK

Aegon UK has created two roles in its risk and finance division in a bid to improve returns and de-risk its balance sheet.

Dutch insurer Aegon says it plans to sell up to EUR 1bn (£860m) in stock to partially repay aid it received from the Dutch government.

Underlying earnings before tax at Aegon UK slumped 79% to just £7m in the first three months of the year as lower fund-related charges hit the firm's pensions business.

Laurie Edmans, director of corporate development at Aegon UK is to leave the company to become an independent consultant at the end of June, when his role will be taken over by Francis McGee.

Aegon UK is planning to build on its entrance to the individual annuities market to become one of the top five companies by the end of next year.

The Financial Services Authority has hit Aegon with a £750,000 fine for not revealing it had potential regulatory problems as a result of "serious systematic flaws" in mortgage endowment mis-selling complaints handling.

Aegon has altered the structure of its UK operations and created two new businesses which the firm argues will enable it to better anticipate and respond to the needs of its core markets.

Francis McGee, the ABI's head of regulation and strategy, is leaving the trade body in the summer to join Aegon UK as head of corporate affairs.

Improvements in the performance of stock markets helped Aegon UK to increase its net income for the first half of the year.

BANCO SANTANDER is thought to digging deeper into its pockets in a bid to head off a damaging bidding war for Abbey National, says this morning's Daily Telegraph.