“Natwest and trio of private equity firms vie for Quilter”

Aug 2, 2022 | Companies

In the 80s and 90s, banks and building societies bought life insurance, pension companies and fund managers, took on lots of financial advisers and sold financial products by the bucket-load, by means both fair and foul, to their customers. Following the banking crash and the PPI and other scandals, they swiftly about-turned and flogged what was left. So the fact that the likes of NatWest are sniffing around Quilter, one of the biggest financial advice and fund platforms, is a big deal in every sense. And mark my cynical words, history, will, alas, repeat. As sadly, it always does.

“Amazon invades financial services with home insurance launch”

Oct 25, 2022 | Companies

Amazon, like Musk, and Branson before them both, can afford to try lots of stuff and fail at some.

“Nutmeg losses climb 28% after JPMorgan takeover”

Jun 30, 2022 | Companies

If you’re offering cheap, online investment advice, you need volume to make it profitable. To get volume (ie lots of money), you need marketing (to get lots of people to log in and give you money). And that costs, particularly, as will inevitably be the case, most of...

“FCA: Good advisers have ‘nothing to fear’ from redress scheme”

Jun 10, 2022 | Companies

A firm with whom we work did advise British Steel workers, was as a result given a thorough going-over and thankfully a clean bill of health by the regulator. Then the FCA were themselves given a thorough going-over by MPs and in the press, over their inaction while the bad advice that was given was being given.