Money Management articles from November 2008

Money Management archives from November 2008

Taking stock - how Wall Street destroyed itself.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Russell Taylor As the banking system crumbles, former investment banker Russell Taylor, asks what went wrong and what it means to us? The financial rumblings of the last 12 months finally exploded into what, if a Richter scale...

Statistics- November 2008.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Lindsey White Click on any of the links below to view this month's statistics in a PDF file UK Registered Investment FundsUK Registered Investment Funds Investment TrustsInvestment Trusts Insurance FundsInsurance Funds...

Update: with profits endowment survey.(Survey)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw It has been another rollercoaster year for the with profits endowments sector. Gareth Shaw sees if policyholders have anything to cheer about Looking back to October 2007, it has been an eventful year for the with...

Cash bungs to leave.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Jason Wykes Companies anxious to reduce their pension liabilities are offering members substantial cash bungs to leave. Advisers need to watch out for clients tempted to take what looks like a fortune, but in reality is often...

Common sense: 2, FSA: 0.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Janet Walford The FSA has lost the second round in the Lautro charges fiasco. The Information Tribunal Service handed down its judgement on 13 October in favour of the Information Commission Officer's ruling that the FSA disclose...

On solid foundations.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Paul Carter Economic uncertainty doesn't have to mean the UK's financial adviser business must suffer its own crunch. When markets fall, they can offer new opportunities explains Paul Carter, lifetime mortgages sales director at...

Making inroads.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Alison Beeston Even though property prices are falling and sales of traditional mortgages have declined, equity release is holding its own. Alison Beeston, compliance and communications manager at Bridgewater Equity Release,...

Diary of a disaster.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Lindsey White International financial meltdown triggers global recession As a global recession looms, Money Management reviews the events which have rocked the financial world since the demise of Lehman Brothers. 15...

Multi-manager spotlight - Voting with their feet.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke As the multi-manager market has evolved to serve investor demand, Geordie Clarke finds that most funds appear in just four IMA sectors Despite their relative infancy compared to standard investment funds,...

Lehman's staff launch tax service.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath Brokers diversify away from lending Two former Lehman Brothers' employees are launching a tax planning service for intermediaries with high net worth individuals and corporate clients. V Tax, a division of V...

Tax Spotlight - The loan relationship rules.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Marcia Banner Marcia Banner looks at company investments and the loan relationship rules, revealing when tax deferral is still possible HM Revenue & Customs has confirmed that the annual loan relationship tax charge on onshore...

SIPP survey.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke In the August issue survey of SIPPs, Prudential was listed in Table 1 as offering its SIPP as the 'Flexible Retirement Plan with FundSIPP option'. In the August issue survey of SIPPs, Prudential was listed in...

Will regulation remain a point of principle?
November 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath FSA chairman hints at change on the horizon Adair Turner, chairman of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has given what has been interpreted by many as an indication that he may not be fully convinced of the...

Equitable makes wrong submission to FSA.(Survey)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Janet Walford OBE Equitable Life has admitted that figures supplied to the regulator on Form 59 of its FSA returns were incorrect. In our survey on personal pensions in the October 2008 issue, we remarked on the disastrous with...

Regulator loses equity release appeal.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke Information Tribunal rules that firms' names not confidential information The FSA has failed in its attempt to withhold the names of the 20 firms that it found to be giving bad advice on equity release in 2005....

Geordie racer.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath Fixed options bond Newcastle Building Society has launched a seven month fixed rate options bond, for which the mutual is yet to set a closing deadline. The bond has an interest rate of 6.45% gross with a...

Endowment complaints favour advisers.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw New FOS figures show less misselling claims upheld EXCLUSIVE: Over half of the complaints brought against advisers for the misselling of endowment savings plans are dismissed, Money Management has learnt. Of...

Win GBP35,000 by playing the JPMorgan Asset Management fantasy fund manager game.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw JPMorgan Asset Management is offering you the chance to create and manage your own bespoke portfolio in a bid to win a huge cash prize. Money Management's Gareth Shaw has the lowdown on how to enter and selects his own...

Morningstar boosts databank with acquisition.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw Fund researcher expands its investment database Investment research company Morningstar has announced the purchase of closed-end fund data provider Fundamental Data Limited in an GBP11m deal. The deal will see...

Defining the downturn.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw Capital protected funds Barclay's Wealth is offering two new Defined Returns Plans (DRP) that aim to deliver a fixed return through continued market turmoil. The DRP Capital Protection, has three, four and five...

Top 15 stories online.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Lindsey White Most read Money Management content online The top 15 Money Management stories read online on FTAdviser.com for the month 15 Sept to 16 Oct were as follows: 1) FSA loses LAUTRO appeal (Janet Walford) 2) UK...

Property fund weathers financial storm.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Lindsey White LV Asset Management puts positive spin on first year returns LV Asset Management has announced better than expected results for its UK Property Fund, in spite of difficult market conditions. Launched on 7...

Brokerage closures prompt AMI warning.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath Adviser sector will continue to shrink EXCLUSIVE: The Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI) has stressed the importance of consolidation, after a further 15 intermediary businesses were wound up by creditors...

Problems snowball at Newcastle mutual.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath But chief executive remains upbeat EXCLUSIVE Bank of Ireland added to the woes of Newcastle Building Society this month after it pulled plans to launch an investment range with the North Eastern mutual. Money...

Serve and protect.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw Structured products With the developed world still struggling to cope with credit crisis, Blue Sky Asset Management (BSAM) has responded by launching two new products to reduce risk while maximising future returns....

Pick your dream team.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw Enter JP Morgan's Fantasy Fund Manager competition for a chance to win GBP35k For the second year running, Money Management has teamed up with JP Morgan for its annual Fantasy Fund Manager competition. By picking...

Stars and stripes.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke American funds Skandia Investment Group has passported a quintet of its US funds into the UK market. Launched on 22 October, the funds will be operated by Skandia's Dublin based fund company, Skandia Global...

Mortgage spotlight - Crunch time for mortgage advisers.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Laverne Hadaway With the fall off in mortgage transactions biting hard, Laverne Hadaway asks brokers what they are doing to try to ensure the survival of their business While mortgage lenders hold out their hands to receive...

With profits triumph in downturn.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw Dwindling with profits returns outstrip top sectors EXCLUSIVE: With profits endowment plans are outperforming key investment sectors despite 79% of policies dropping in value this year. The latest Money...

Banks look to outsource unsaleable businesses.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath Subcontractors in demand for arrears management services Financial consultancy Target Group has reported a surge in interest from retail banks looking to outsource loss making business divisions that they cannot...

Beating the bear.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke Corporate bond funds Norwich Union has expanded its fixed interest range with two new bond funds. The Norwich Strategic Bond and the Norwich High Yield Bond funds will be managed by Dominic White and Chris...

Quelling fears.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke Structured products Growth linked to the FTSE 100 and the DJ Eurostoxx50 will power the latest trio of structured products from Meteor Asset Management. The Prima Plus Plan 5, Prima Growth Plan 10 and...

Bridging lender expands distribution.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath Bristol based lender continues growth strategy EXCLUSIVE Bridgingloans.com has signed an exclusive contract with price comparison site and online mortgage broker Mform.co.uk. The move is part of the site's...

Planning for retirement - Radical rethinks needed.
November 1, 2008... Byline: John Chapman Governments, employers, pension providers, and individuals should adopt fresh approaches to pension saving or face the consequences, says John Chapman This is the second of a series of four articles on the...

Can we afford to live longer?
November 1, 2008... Byline: John Chapman With life expectancy at an all time high, we need a rethink on how we plan to fund the inevitable higher costs of retirement, reports John Chapman This is the first of a series of four articles on the retirement...

Protected rights unleashed.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Owen Walker SIPP providers are salivating at the prospect of a wave of protected rights money transferring into their plans. But the rush may not be as colossal as expected, discovers Owen Walker, assistant editor of Pensions...

Protection spotlight - Tele-underwriting takes hold.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Helen Pridham Telephone underwriting had its sceptics at first, but they are finding little to object about and much to recommend the procedure. Helen Pridham reports on progress so far A growing number of insurers are...

Pensions spotlight - Risk sharing vital for occupational pensions.
November 1, 2008... Byline: John Chapman Contradictory industry responses to a tactless DWP paper could allow HMG to shelve the issues, reports John Chapman The continuing switch from final salary (FS) schemes, in part to harsh money purchase (MP)...

Special report - Turning Japanese.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Laverne Hadaway The Japanese stock market was the investment darling of the 80s, only to fall into the economic doldrums for 20 years. Laverne Hadaway finds out why fund managers believe it should now avoid the worst of the world...

Can corporate bond funds conquer all?
November 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath In times of turmoil, do corporate bond funds offer a secure home, asks Joe McGrath In September, retail tycoon and outgoing owner of Newcastle United Football Club, Mike Ashley, attempted some investing of his own,...

Home sweet equity.
November 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke Even though house prices have fallen rapidly in recent months, there is still a great deal of capital locked up that can be freed through equity release, says Geordie Clarke By all accounts, the equity release...

Four months for a pension transfer!
November 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke Troubled Windsor Life's problems persist EXCLUSIVE: Consolidator Windsor Life has come under fire yet again for clumsy administration resulting in a pension transfer taking four months to complete. Money...