DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ HSBC fined $73 million for 'serious failings' in UK deposit protection
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

HSBC has been fined 57.4 million pounds ($73 million) for "serious failings" in protecting some depositors over several years, in the first penalty of its kind under British rules designed to protect customers if banks fail. This is the second largest fine ever imposed by the PRA, topped only by an 87 million pound penalty on Credit Suisse in July 2023. "The serious failings in this case go to the heart of the PRA's safety and soundness objective," said Sam Woods, deputy governor of the Bank of England and CEO of the PRA. Globally systemically important banks -- such as HSBC and UBS -- are required to plan for resolution, which should allow regulators to unwind them without triggering broader systemic consequences. Britain's deposit protection rules require lenders to ensure critical information is held in order for the FSCS to compensate customers if a firm fails.

Persons: Sam Woods, BoE Organizations: HSBC, of England's Prudential, Authority, Britain's Financial, Credit Suisse, Bank of England, UBS

☆ The shadow banking sector 'is a worry,' says PRA CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe shadow banking sector 'is a worry,' says PRA CEOSam Woods, deputy governor of the Bank of England and CEO of the Prudential Regulation Authority, discusses the British banking sector.

Persons: Sam Woods Organizations: Bank of England, Prudential, Authority

☆ Bank of England deputy governor says impairments rising among UK lenders
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In August, the Bank of England increased interest rates for the 14th time in a row. The British banking sector is seeing a rise in impairments amid rising inflation and ensuing interest rate hikes, according to Bank of England Deputy Governor Sam Woods. The economy has proven surprisingly resilient, but Woods, also CEO of the Prudential Regulation Authority, said regulators are closely monitoring potential stresses in the banking sector. "As we're looking at it now, we are actually seeing a pickup in impairments across the banking sector. "So it's going up but from a very low base, and we've got a close eye on it," he added.

Persons: Sam Woods, Woods, we've Organizations: Bank of England, Prudential, Authority, CNBC

☆ Bank of England tells UK to hold insurers to account on infrastructure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A general view of the Bank of England (BoE) building, the BoE confirmed to raise interest rates to 1.75%, in London, Britain, August 4, 2022. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Bank Of England FollowLONDON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The government should check that insurers are spending up to 100 billion pounds ($125 billion) on Britain's economy after their capital rules were eased, Bank of England Deputy Governor Sam Woods said on Wednesday. "I think it may happen, but I can't guarantee it," Woods told a sub-committee of parliament's Treasury Select Committee. The finance ministry overrode the Bank of England to ease some capital rules more than Woods had wanted, which could make an insurance company failure more likely. This means insurers will have more money to invest, currently only a modest part of their portfolios is in infrastructure, Gerken said.

Persons: BoE, Maja Smiejkowska, Sam Woods, Woods, Charlotte Gerken, Gerken, Huw Jones, Alexander Smith Organizations: Bank of England, REUTERS, Bank, Association of, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Liquidity rules need rethink after Silicon Valley Bank crash, says Carney
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in the United States last month highlighted the "greater flightiness" of desposits, particularly those of small business clients, Carney told a Reuters Breakingviews podcast. Over $40 billion left Silicon Valley Bank in 24 hours, leaving authorities confronting a new risk: the social media bank run as depositors can withdraw cash with just a few taps on their phone. These buffers should also count a bank's access to central bank liquidity as part of their calculations, he added. The United States has generally applied Basel standards only to its biggest banks, which did not include Silicon Valley Bank. Bank of England Deputy Governor Sam Woods told lawmakers last week that bank liquidity rules might now be an open question for international policymakers.

“I have argued for years that the biggest banks in the world are still too big to fail. In practice, however, the economic damage would be considerable.”Keller-Sutter was at the center of a government-orchestrated rescue of Credit Suisse by its larger rival UBS (UBS) earlier this month. Global standards for dealing with teetering “too big to fail” banks were key a part of the package of rules introduced after the global financial crisis. They were designed to make it possible to wind down a big bank without destabilizing the financial system or exposing taxpayers to the risk of losses. The rest is lent out at higher interest rates or invested, because that’s how big banks make most of their profit.

“I have argued for years that the biggest banks in the world are still too big to fail. In practice, however, the economic damage would be considerable.”Keller-Sutter was at the center of a government-orchestrated rescue of Credit Suisse by its larger rival UBS (UBS) earlier this month. They were designed to make it possible to wind down a big bank without destabilizing the financial system or exposing taxpayers to the risk of losses. Although some investors in Credit Suisse bonds lost everything, Swiss taxpayers are still on the hook for up to 9 billion Swiss francs ($9.8 billion) of potential losses arising from certain Credit Suisse assets. The rest is lent out at higher interest rates or invested, because that’s how big banks make most of their profit.

☆ Andrew Bailey says Bank of England on high alert as investors 'test' banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

On Monday, European bank shares rose, boosted by news that First Citizens Bank in the United States would buy most of the assets of Silicon Valley Bank, which collapsed earlier this month. “I think there are moves in markets to, if you like, test out firms,” Bailey told a UK parliamentary committee Tuesday. José Manuel Campa, the head of the European Banking Authority, told Germany’s Handelsblatt Monday that European lenders remained vulnerable. The Swiss heavyweight was rescued by UBS, while SVB UK was bought by HSBC (HBCYF) for £1 after its US parent was shut by regulators. Despite being well-capitalized, SVB UK would not have survived the demise of its US parent, according to Bailey.

LONDON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Britain's proposed changes to capital rules for insurers could lead to the government having to bail out policyholders, as happened 20 years ago after the near-collapse of life assurance company Equitable Life, the Bank of England said on Monday. "I will mention Equitable Life ... it can happen," Bailey added . Equitable Life, established in 1762, closed to new customers in 2000 and almost collapsed after making unsustainable guarantees to policyholders. The government, however, had made its decision on insurance reform and there was a need to move forward now, Woods said. The BoE wanted to be "very closely engaged" on the detail of those reforms, Woods said.

☆ Bank of England chief questions government's veto power plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Governor of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey attends the Monetary Policy Report News Conference at The Bank of England, in London, Britain November 3, 2022. REUTERS/Toby Melville/PoolLONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey took the British government to task on Wednesday over its plan to give itself veto powers over post-Brexit financial rules written by independent regulators, including the central bank. The BoE has warned against easing the rules too much as insurers appeal to the ministry to override the central bank. City minister Andrew Griffith has said a veto would be used sparingly, with regulators continuing to enjoy day-to-day operational independence. The veto would be additional to a new remit in a draft law before parliament for regulators to heed the City's global competitiveness when writing new rules.

☆ Britain proposes regulation of all cryptoassets
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Britain would have the power to regulate all cryptoassets under a proposal the UK financial services minister has added to a draft law before parliament that will almost certainly pass. Andrew Griffith, re-appointed as City Minister on Thursday by Britain's new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, put forth the amendment to the financial services and markets bill, which parliament has begun approving. The bill, as originally drafted, gives the Financial Conduct Authority powers to regulate stablecoins only, but the amendment broadens the remit to cover promotions for all cryptoassets. "This new clause amends the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to clarify that the powers relating to financial promotion and regulated activities can be relied on to regulate cryptoassets and activities relating to cryptoassets," the amendment says in a parliamentary document dated Thursday. It would put Britain more on par with the European Union's markets in cryptoassets law which is now being finalised, seen as the world's first comprehensive set of rules to regulate the emerging crypto sector.

☆ Turning City of London into the 'Wild West' would be self-defeating, says BoE's Woods
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Turning the City - London's financial district - into a "Wild West" to attract more business after Brexit would be self-defeating as maintaining financial stability is key to competitiveness, Bank of England Deputy Governor Sam Woods said on Thursday. Woods said in a speech to be delivered to the annual City Dinner that financial stability is the single most important ingredient of competitiveness in the sector. "Any attempt to become a global financial centre by competitively de-regulating would be self-defeating by its nature: major international financial institutions want a safe harbour, not a Wild West." Woods has clashed with an insurance industry that wants him to go further in easing capital rules to help it invest in infrastructure. A "comprehensive" public consultation paper on introducing the final leg of global bank capital rules, known as Basel 3.1, will be published by the end of the year, he added.

☆ Morning Bid: Earnings vs Rates
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Oct 19 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan. Market tension is building between surprising positivity still coming from the unfolding corporate earnings season and the anxiety in interest rate markets and macro gloom. But earnings may be just a rearview mirror of the economy and the inflation and interest rate backdrop showed little sign of improvement across the western economies. U.S. 10- and 30-year bond yields were now both above 4% this week for the first time in 12 years. Oil prices steadied after Tuesday's slide amid reports U.S. President Joe Biden plans to release more of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Search resuls for: "Sam Woods"

13 mentions found