Europe Intelligence Wire articles from June 2005, page 5

Europe Intelligence Wire archives from June 2005

BANKING SYSTEMS: Fortis Bank to work with Misys.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) Benelux-based Fortis Bank, one of Europe's top 20 financial institutions, has committed to establishing a single, core banking platform for corporate cash accounts to support its global commercial...

NEW ALLIANCE: First Data enters Netherlands market.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) US payment services company First Data and Netherlands-based card issuer International Card Services (ICS) have entered into a joint merchant and ATM acquiring venture in the Dutch market. ...

New contenders in the wings as losers exit online payments.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) In the past month, the US media has been rife with speculation that leading internet search engine company Google will launch an online electronic payment service by the end of the year to rival...

INTERCHANGE FEES: RBA requests interchange disclosure from BPAY.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has written to the BPAY payment system consortium requesting that it disclose its interchange fees, and has warned that it could be subject to a public review...

CHIP AND PIN: UK hits the 100 million mark.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) Following the issue of the 100 millionth chip and PIN card on 26 May, almost every cardholder in the UK now has at least one chip and PIN card in their wallet, according to the UK's association of...

Western Union entrenches Chinese presence.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) Western Union Financial Services, First Data's global money transfer subsidiary, has had a presence in China for ten years. Recently it has reiterated its commitment to one of the world's most...

Free-to-use ATMs still dominate UK market.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) A study by UK payments association APACS revealed that in 2004 bank and building society-owned machines which do not charge for withdrawals still accounted for 95 percent of transactions by volume...

India boosts IT security training.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) UK security software developer BindView has been awarded a contract to enhance the standards of internet security training in India by the Consortium for Indian Information Technology Education...

Cellent and World-Check join forces.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) The UK's World-Check and Germany's Cellent, the companies behind the world's two most widely deployed applications in the fields of anti- money laundering and financial sanctions monitoring, have...

A better deal for merchants.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) Online merchants can often increase sales revenues by between 3 percent and 10 percent by servicing customers who cannot or will not use a credit card online, or who are in countries where credit...

WHOLESALE BANKING: IntraNet is awarded SWIFT gold.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) For the eighth consecutive year, international payments and message processing solutions provider IntraNet Worldwide has been awarded the SWIFTReady Gold Accreditation for Payments. This is the...

CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS: Vending machines enter the picture.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) Vending machines are an obvious target in the rapidly expanding, low- value contactless payment arena. Credit card transaction systems developer USA Technologies has become the first company to...

DIGITAL SYSTEMS: Opening up new payments channels.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) Three UK firms - Voca, Mi-Pay and Retail Decisions (ReD) - have joined forces to establish Digital Payments, a new company which will focus on the development of consumer payments via mobile and...

Net 1 UEPS Technologies: providing a solution to the world's unbanked.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) Almost 100 years ago, Henry Ford realised the profit magic of producing cars for the mass market. A similar inspiration spurred computer scientist Serge Belamant to develop systems that do what the...

US banks' consumer electronic payments revenue at risk.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) Banks that ignore changes in electronic payments may find themselves at a competitive disadvantage in three to four years. At stake is up to 40 percent of banking revenue and a key to attracting...

First Data continues acquisition with purchase of EuroProcessing.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) The acquisition of EuroProcessing International by First Data on 10 June is the latest example of the consolidation trend in Europe's card processing industry. EPI reports The acquisition of...

ITALY - ONLINE PAYMENTS: Overcoming resistance to change.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) In the online payments arena, Italian card issuers and banks are slowly winning the hearts, minds and wallets of sceptical Italian consumers Overcoming consumer resistance to change and gaining...

Consumers show preference for consolidated billing.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) Online payment of bills is increasing in the UK, reveals a study undertaken by OneVu, the UK's first consolidated electronic bill presentment and payment service. The study found that of people...

American Express and Chase join in.
June 30, 2005... (From Electronic Payments International) From June, all new American Express (Amex) Blue consumer and small business credit cards issued in the US will offer the firm's ExpressPay contactless chip functionality as standard. As ExpressPay...

PM gives speech at London's City University, outlines new institutional framework for attracting investments.
June 30, 2005... (From Athens News Agency) LONDON (ANA - L. Tsirigotakis) - Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis gave a speech at the Business and Economics Faculty of London's City University on Thursday night on the theme of "Greece:Looking behind the 2004...

Parliament ratifies capital market bill and bank employees' social security arrangements.
June 30, 2005... (From Athens News Agency) Parliament on Thursday ratified the capital market bill, which includes articles regarding pension reform in the banking sector and voluntary retirement of employees of the Hellenic Telecommunications...

RED CROSS FROM NORWAY VISITS CENTRAL BOSNA CANTON.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) NOVI TRAVNIK, June 30 (ONASA) - A delegation of the Red Cross from the Norwegian region of Opland visited today the Municipal Organization of Red Cross in Vitez and is planing to visit Jajce tomorrow. The...

NO NEGOTIATIONS WITH BOSNIAN SERB WARCRIMES SUSPECT: OFFICIALS.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) BELGRADE, June 30 (ONASA/B92) - The Serbian government is not negotiating with former Bosnian Serb army chief and war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic, and if he is arrested he will be extradited to the UN tribunal...

HR HAILS SIPA'S MEMBERSHIP IN EGMONT GROUP.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, today welcomed the decision by the Egmont Group to invite Bosnia and Herzegovina to become a member. The Egmont Group is a worldwide network of...

BRITISH AMBASSADOR IN BIH TO ATTEND CEREMONY AT SARAJEVO SCHOOL.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The Great Britain will tomorrow take over a six-month presidency over the European Union (EU). Following the occasion, a solemn ceremony will be held at the Primary school "Mesa...

CENTRAL-BOSNIAN CANTON GOVT. DISCUSSES WEATHER DAMAGES.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) TRAVNIK, June 30 (ONASA) - At a special session on Friday, the Central Bosnian Canton Government allocated 30,000 KM for alleviation of damages caused by the recent bad weather. The Government has ordered...

TWO PERSONS DETAINED IN WEDNESDAY'S RAID FOR POSSESSING ARMS : EUFOR.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) BANJA LUKA, June 30 (ONASA) - EUFOR's spokesman Rob Baily confirmed today that police detained, during Wednesday's raid of facilities owned by businessman Slavko Roguljic near Banja Luka, two persons for...

BANJANOVIC CONDEMNS ACTIONS OF BIH AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) ZVORNIK, June 30 (ONASA) - Delegate of the Republika Srpska Council of Peoples Fadil Banjanovic said on Friday that the BiH Agricultural Association is actually a "private enterprise of its self-proclaimed leader...

HIGH REPRESENTATIVE CONGRATULATES BIH ELECTION COMMISSION.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The mandate of the international members of the BiH Election Commission ends today, following a Decision of the High Representative. The BiH House of Representatives appointed new...

AUSTRALIAN RESEARCHER FINDS SEALS' UNEXPECTED SINGING TALENTS.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SYDNEY, June 30 (ONASA - AFP) - An Australian researcher had found the males of two seal species in Antarctica woo potential mates by singing complex melodies. Tracey Rogers of Sydney's Taronga Zoo said leopard...

STATELESS KENYAN AIRPORT DENIZEN TO FINALLY END "TERMINAL" ORDEAL.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) NAIROBI, June 30 (ONASA - AFP) - A Kenyan-born British national whose lengthy stay at Nairobi's main airport prompted comparisons with Hollywood icon Tom Hanks' film "The Terminal" will soon be leaving his...

BELGIUM-IRAN LUNCH OFF MENU OVER BOOZE BAN.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) BRUSSELS, June 30 (ONASA - AFP) - The speaker of Belgium's parliament has canceled a lunch with his Iranian counterpart because the visiting Tehran delegation insisted that no alcohol be served, officials said...

WORLD BANK SAYS WILL ASSIST PRIVATIZATION PROCESS IN RS.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) BANJA LUKA, June 30 (ONASA) - Director of the World Bank in BiH Dirk Reinermann said on Thursday that the World Bank is willing to approve a US$ 18 million credit for improvement of working conditions of the...

FOREIGN TRADE REMOVED FROM PARLIAMENTARY SESSION AGENDA.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The discussion on foreign trade topics has been removed from the agenda of the 9th joint session of the BiH Parliamentary Houses. The topics included a report on the effects of...

FBIH GOVERNMENT ON AMENDMENTS TO LAW ON PURCHASE OF APARTMENTS.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The BiH Federation Government said on Friday it will forward the amendments to the law on purchase of apartments to the Parliament, which would then discuss them in July, Minister of...

CONFERENCE OF ASSOCIATION FOR COOPERATION OF PARENTS, SCHOOLS IN BIH.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The first state conference of the Association for Cooperation of Parents and Schools in BiH was held on Thursday in Sarajevo at the hotel "Palas," read a press release from the...

BIH COUNCIL OF MINISTERS ACCEPTS 2004 BUDGET EXECUTION REPORT.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The BiH Council of Ministers on Friday accepted the report on the 2004 budget execution, as prepared by the BiH Ministry of Finances and Treasury. According to the report, incomes...

FUNDS APPROVED FOR MARKING OF ANNIVERSARY OF SREBRENICA GENOCIDE.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The BiH Council of Ministers approved on Thursday 100,000 KM from state budgetary reserves for this year as financial support to the Organization Board for the ceremonial marking of...

SARAJEVO STOCK EXCHANGE: TODAY'S TURNOVER 2,650,504 KM.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - Today's turnover at the Sarajevo Stock Exchange amounted to 2,650,504 KM and was realized within 362 transactions in which 1,433,125 shares were traded. The biggest turnover was...

BANJA LUKA STOCK EXCHANGE: TODAY'S TURNOVER 317,945 KM.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) BANJA LUKA, June 30 (ONASA) - Today's turnover at the Banja Luka Stock Exchange amounted to 317,945 KM and was realized in 985 transactions. BIRS fell for 0.88 percent to 1,139.02 index points., while FIRS...

ASSESSMENT OF ENDANGERMENT FROM NATURAL, OTHER DISASTERS ADOPTED.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The BiH Federation Government adopted at its session on Thursday an assessment of endangerment from natural and other disasters in the BiH Federation, prepared by the BiH Federation...

"BIH CITIZEN MOST WANTED TERRORIST IN S. ARABIA" - NEZAVISNE NOVINE.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) BANJA LUKA, June 30 (ONASA) - The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Interior has issued a list of 36 most wanted militants suspected of numerous attacks in the country, among whom is a citizen of Morocco and BiH Younus...

BIH COM MAKES DECISION ON FUNDS ON ESCROW ACCOUNT.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The BiH Council of Ministers made at its session on Thursday a decision on the way of keeping funds on the escrow account with the BiH Central Bank. By this decision, the funds in...

LIBRARY SETS UP SHOP ON PORTUGUESE BEACH TO ENCOURAGE SUMMER READING.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) LISBON, June 30 (ONASA - AFP) - With the summer season in full swing, officials in northern Portugal are setting up a library at a popular beach to encourage sunseekers to read as they tan by the seaside. The...

BIH COM ADOPTS REPORT ON EXECUTION OF BUDGET OF BIH INSTITUTIONS.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The BiH Council of Ministers accepted at its session on Thursday a report of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury on the execution of the budget of BiH institutions for the first three...

FBIH GOVT. ON AMENDMENTS TO LAW ON ESSENTIALS OF SOCIAL PROTECTION.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The BiH Federation Government accepted at its session on Thursday one of 11 amendments put forward by delegate in the BiH Federation Parliamentary House of Peoples Muhamed Ganibegovic...

CONSULAR SECTION OF U.S. EMBASSY WILL BE CLOSED JUNE 30-JULY 4, 2005.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The United States Embassy advises that the Consular Section will be closed on Thursday, June 30; Friday, July 1 and Monday, July 4, 2005 in observance of the US Independence Day...

BIH COM MAKES DECISION ON USAGE OF FUNDS FROM AIR NAVIGATION.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The BiH Council of Ministers made a decision on Thursday on the usage of funds realized on the basis of offered services of air navigation in the air space of BiH. The decision was...

BIH COM ON EFFECTS OF SUSPENSION OF FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The BiH Council of Ministers on Friday accepted an analysis of effects of the temporary partial suspension of free trade agreements with Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro. A report...

GAZA SETTLERS STEALING OUR COLORS, SAY ARAB ISRAELI MPS.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) JERUSALEM, June 30 (ONASA - AFP) - An Arab Israeli political party announced Thursday that it was taking legal action to prevent opponents of the Gaza Strip pullout from using the color orange as the symbol of...

RS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY IN SESSION.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) BANJA LUKA, June 30 (ONASA) - The Republika Srpska National Assembly on Friday unanimously adopted several laws, including the law on amendments to the law on budgetary system. RS Minister of Finances...

EUPM ORGANIZES MEETING ON SREBRENICA COMMEMORATION SECURITY PLANS.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The European Union Police Mission to BiH on Friday organized a meeting for representatives of the Republika Srpska and BiH Federation Ministries of Interior and the BiH State...

INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR BALKANS CHAIRMAN VISITS SREBRENICA.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SREBRENICA, June 30 (ONASA) - The chairman of the International Commission for Balkans and former Italian prime Minister, Giulianno Amato, on Thursday visited the Memorial Center in Potocari where he met with...

SEMINAR ON NATO, PFP ACCESSION ENDS IN SARAJEVO.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - A two-day seminar "Learned lessons of member-countries of the NATO/PfP" ended on Wednesday evening at the Hotel "Terme" in Ilidza in the organization of the NATO Command in Brussels,...

INAUGURAL ASSEMBLY OF ASSOCIATIONS OF WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - Nine associations of women with breast cancer will organize on a meeting July 2 in Zenica, at which a single association at the level of BiH is expected to be formed. The goal of...

OHR REACTS ON SUPPLEMENT PUBLISHED BY VECERNJE NOVOSTI,.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - Any citizen of BiH can bring a case to the Court, as was the case with the family members of the men who went missing in Srebrenica in 1995, the Office of the High Representative (OHR)...

UKRAINE PRIEST DETAINED ON SUSPICION OF STEALING CARS.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) LVIV, Ukraine, June 30 (ONASA - AFP) - Police in western Ukraine have detained a priest suspected of using his position as a cover to steal cars in the region, officials said Thursday. The 30-year-old prelate was...

CANADIANS CELEBRATE CANADA DAY AT BH NATIONAL MUSEUM.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, 30 June (ONASA) - In honor of Canada's national day, Canada Day, the Canadian Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina organized a reception at the BH National Museum garden, to which representatives of the BH...

BIH DELEGATION TO ATTEND OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY SESSION.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - A delegation of BiH is to attend the 14th annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Washington, and the main topic will be "30 years since Helsinki - Upcoming challenges"....

HADZIPASIC AND ZIGIC TO VISIT GRACANICA ON FRIDAY.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - BiH Federation Prime Minister Ahmet Hadzipasic and BiH Federation Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry Izet Zigic will attend on Friday a ceremonial opening of the new plant...

DRAFT LAW ON ADDITIONAL RIGHTS OF SOLDIERS OF CANTON 4 DETERMINED.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) ZENICA, June 30 (ONASA) - The Assembly of the Zenica-Doboj Canton determined at its session on Thursday the draft law on additional rights of soldiers and members of their families, which defines 22 kinds of...

UNA SANA CANTON ASSEMBLY REJECTS REPORT ON WORK OF GOVERNMENT.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) BIHAC, June 30 (ONASA) - Delegates of the Una Sana Canton Assembly on Thursday failed to accept the report on the work of the cantonal government assessing it as incomplete and without proposed measures for...

REPORT ON ACTION PLAN OF LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY PRESENTED.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - Some 18 percent of the population of BiH are poor, read a report on implementation of the action plan of the long-term development strategy of BiH for the period of August 2003 to...

FRIDAY NEWS CALENDAR.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) 0930 - Roundtable "Implementation of law on forests of BiH Federation and law on amendments and addenda to law on forests of BiH Federation," BiH Federation Chamber of Commerce, 10 Branislava Djurdjeva, SARAJEVO...

THURSDAY NEWS CALENDAR.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) 0900 - Session, BiH Council of Ministers, common institutions building, Sarajevo 1000 - Session, Republika Srpska Assembly, Banja Luka 1000 - Seminar, "Value-added Tax", 8 La Benevolencija street, Sarajevo 1000 -...

SCOTLAND BRACES FOR SERIES OF ANTI-G8 PROTESTS.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) LONDON, June 30 (ONASA/AFP) - As G8 leaders gather behind massive security in Gleneagles next week, police nearby will face a week of demonstration by groups aiming to get their message across to the politicians,...

US CAPITOL EVACUATED, BUSH MOVED AFTER REPORT OF SUSPICIOUS AIRCRAFT.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) WASHINGTON, June 30 (ONASA/AFP) - Police ordered the evacuation of the US Capitol, which houses the US Senate and House of Representatives, on Wednesday, and President George W. Bush was moved to a secure...

BIH PRESS REVIEW.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - Head engineer of the future highway cite Adis Campara confirmed yesterday to the daily Nezavisne Novine that the 8.5 kilometers of highway from Podlugovi to Visoko will be completed in...

EC INITIATES CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE ON ENLARGEMENT WITH CANDIDATES.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) BRUSSELS, June 30 (ONASA) - The European Commission on Wednesday decided to launch dialogue on enlargement between civil society structures of the European Union and candidate-countries. "The European...

SIPA'S FINANCIAL-INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT MEMBER OF EGMONT GROUP.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The financial-intelligence department of the State Agency for Investigations and Protection (SIPA) became a member of Egmont Group, an international network of offices for preventing...

RS PLANT TEAM ENGAGED IN MINE CLEARANCE IN TESLIC.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) TESLIC, June 30 (ONASA) - The Plant team of the RS Civil Protection is visiting Teslic where in the following days it will work on mine clearance of housing units. In the past war intensive fights have taken...

RS PARLIAMENT IN SESSION.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) BANJA LUKA, June 30 (ONASA) - The RS parliament today begun a session discussing a draft law on material and non-material damage from the war period May 1992 - June 1996. Among other, the agenda also includes...

FIREMEN IN GORAZDE GAIN FRENCH DONATION WORTH 50,000 KM.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) GORAZDE, June 30 (ONASA) - A delegation of Lambala city from the French province of Bretanga, which visited Gorazde yesterday, donated a vehicle and equipment, worth some 50,000 KM, to Gorazde firemen. The...

DUTCH DEFENCE MINISTER DURING SREBRENICA MASSACRE TESTIFIES.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) THE HAGUE, June 30 (ONASA/AFP) - A former Dutch defence minister testified here Thursday at the last of a series of hearing to determine if survivors of the Srebrenica massacre can file claims against the...

PUBLICATION OF NAMES OF MORE THAN 3,000 SERBS KILLED IN SREBRENICA.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) BELGRADE, June 30 (ONASA/AFP) - A Belgrade daily on Thursday published the names of more than 3,000 Serbs killed by Muslim forces in Srebrenica, where 8,000 Muslim boys and men were massacred when Serbs overran...

EUPM HAILS SIPA'S ADMISSION IN EGMONT GROUP.
June 30, 2005... (From ONASA News Agency) SARAJEVO, June 30 (ONASA) - The EU Police Mission (EUPM) in BiH hailed today's admission of SIPA in the membership of Egmont Group, an international network of offices for preventing money laundering, the EUPM...

Brand's spot of bother.
June 30, 2005... (From Bristol Evening Post) Bristol's Gordon Brand Junior made a disappointing start to the Smurfit European Open at The K Club, near Dublin. The former Ryder Cup player, who started on the back nine, was towards the bottom of the...

Bank of America Aquires MBNA.
June 30, 2005... (From Banking Newslink) Bank of America has signed a definitive deal to buy MBNA. It will pay approximately $35bn ( 28.9bn GBP19.5bn YEN3,877bn) comprising of 0.5009 BoA shares and $4.125 per MBNA share. This is equal to $27.50 a share...

Fortis to acquire Dryden Wealth Management.
June 30, 2005... (From Banking Newslink) Fortis is to purchase Dryden Wealth Management from Prudential Financial Inc. It is paying ?85m (GBP57m $103m YEN11.4bn) up front and will pay a performance bonus in addition of up to ?33m. Dryden is described...

UBS restructures and makes new appointments.
June 30, 2005... (From Banking Newslink) UBS announced a restructure and several top level global appointments. UBS is to merge its US wealth management business with its Swiss & International one to form a single Global Wealth Management & Business...

UK Consumer Credit growth picks up slightly?
June 30, 2005... (From Banking Newslink) Gilbert Research tracking data appears to confirm the British Bankers Association data that Consumer Credit has / is picking up again after faltering earlier in the year. Whilst it appears likely that the rate of...

OCR - Annual Shareholders Meeting.
June 30, 2005... (From Hugin) Stavanger, Norway Ocean Rig held it's annual shareholders meeting on June 29, 2005. All resolutions remained in accordance with the proposed agenda. The Board was re-elected and consists of Geir Aune, Bjarne Skeie, James...

Preparing for the coming US wealth payout tidal waves.
June 30, 2005... (From Private Banker International) US wealth firms are preparing for what they predict will be massive payout waves as the baby boom generation retires en masse. The repercussions for high net worth households are only just beginning to...

Asia catches up with Europe in the global wealth stakes.
June 30, 2005... (From Private Banker International) The Asia-Pacific region, currently an irresistible magnet for both Western wealth players and local regional banks seeking new private clients, has virtually caught up with continental Europe in terms...