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☆ UBS overhauls wealth management leadership in wider board shake-up
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The three keys USB logo is seen outside the London office of Swiss bank UBS in central London, on March 20, 2023. LONDON — UBS on Thursday announced a shake-up of its executive board in the latest phase of a radical overhaul of the Swiss banking giant, following its takeover of fallen rival Credit Suisse. It marks the first time a divisional UBS president has been based in Asia-Pacific, the bank said. George Athanasopoulos and Marco Valla also join the executive board as co-presidents of the investment bank, alongside Damian Vogel, incoming global chief risk officer. The trio replace outgoing board members Credit Suisse CEO Ulrich Korner, UBS Asia-Pacific President Edmund Koh, and UBS Americas Regional President Naureen Hassan.

Persons: Iqbal Khan, Rob Karofsky, Sergio Ermotti, Ermotti, George Athanasopoulos, Marco Valla, Damian Vogel, Ulrich Korner, Edmund Koh, Naureen Hassan Organizations: UBS, LONDON, Credit Suisse, Group, Credit, UBS Americas, Swiss Locations: London, Swiss, Asia, Pacific, U.S, Americas, UBS Asia

☆ UBS just reshuffled its leadership ranks after buying Credit Suisse. See the new power players in charge of the $1.7 trillion Swiss banking behemoth.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Michelle Abrego | Kaja Whitehouse | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The merger between Credit Suisse and UBS creates a new Swiss banking behemoth with $1.7 trillion in assets. Investment bank leadersThe president of UBS's investment bank, Robert Karofsky, circulated a memo on Monday announcing his new leadership team. Ebert, co-head of markets at Credit Suisse, was also named head of Credit Suisse for the Investment Bank, reporting to Karofsky. UBS global wealth management president Iqbal Khan revealed the appointments to its critical wealth business in an internal memo titled "Becoming a global wealth powerhouse." Members of the current Credit Suisse wealth management leadership team will report to both Yves-Alain and to their respective UBS global wealth management regional leader.

Persons: Yves, Alain Sommerhalder, Michael Ebert, Robert Karofsky, Ebert, Karofsky, Marco Valla, Valla, Javier Oficialdegui, Mike, I've, George Athanasopoulos, Jason Barron, Ros L'Esperance, Dan Dowd, Taichi Takahashi, Chris Leone, Julie Beavan, Tricia Hazelwood, Jeff Hinton, Kurt Anthony, Laurence Braham, Richard Hardegree, Richard Casavechia, Ozzie Ramos, Jason Williams, Neil Meyer, Ken Tittle, Iqbal Khan, Francesco De Ferrari, Khan, Reuters Yves, Alain, Wiwi Gutmannsbauer, Benjamin Cavalli, Cavalli, Kinner, Amy Lo, Jin Yee Young, Young, Hatecke, UBS's Anton Simonet, Christl, Jason Chandler, Sergio Ermotti, Ralph Hamers, Ermotti, MICHELE LIMINA, Todd Tuckner, Sarah Youngwood, Michelle Bereaux, Stefan Seiler, Christian Bluhm, Damian Vogel, Ulrich Körner Organizations: UBS, Credit Suisse, Suisse, Credit, Wall Street, Investment, Investment Bank, Barclays, Global Banking, Investment Bank Management, Global Markets, Global Research, IB, Resource Management, Staff, MUFG Securities, Reuters, Yves, Deutsche, Switzerland, Swiss Re, Getty Locations: Switzerland's, Swiss, Americas, Asia, Singapore, Switzerland, Europe, Middle East, Africa, America, AFP

☆ UBS Refreshes Management Team to Integrate Credit Suisse
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Margot Patrick | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Credit Suisse CEO Ulrich Körner will take charge of operational continuity and client focus. Photo: fabrice coffrini/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesUBS said it would integrate Credit Suisse with a freshly composed executive team that includes Credit Suisse’s chief executive and a new chief financial officer. The Swiss banking giant said it is evaluating all options for Credit Suisse’s Swiss business, which some politicians in the country want to be spun off into a separate unit or divested. The merger of the two banks is one of the largest ever by assets.

☆ UBS says Credit Suisse CEO Ulrich Koerner will join its board
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Besides Körner, who spent over a decade at UBS before returning to Credit Suisse in 2021, UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti largely leaned on UBS executives in pulling together his new team. Some media had speculated that a number of Credit Suisse bankers would take up senior roles at the new group. Credit Suisse executive board members will report to both their relevant UBS executive board member and Körner. “This is a pivotal moment for UBS, Credit Suisse and the entire banking industry,” Ermotti said in the statement Tuesday. Zuercher Kantonalbank said this meant there would be initially no big changes for the current Credit Suisse management.

☆ Swiss mega-bank has scope to shrink to greatness
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In UBS (UBSG.S), which is rescuing Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) in a government-brokered deal, they almost have one. The combined Swiss mega-bank will start out with a $1.7 trillion balance sheet, making it the 10th largest Western bank, based on Refinitiv data. Credit Suisse was in the process of running down, selling or carving out trading and investment-banking businesses with risk-weighted assets (RWAs) of $68 billion. Credit Suisse CEO Ulrich Körner was hamstrung by large losses, which drained capital and limited how quickly he could shrink. The emergency combination of UBS and Credit Suisse has created a banking giant.

☆ Premarket stocks: These are the only stocks that matter right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Leading the way in growth are tech stocks like Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), Tesla (TSLA) and Meta (FB). That’s been a boon to large cap tech stocks that are more sensitive to interest rates because they tend to borrow more than established companies and rely more on the prospect of future earnings. But it also means that the current market rally is thin, as the major indexes outperform the average stock. Strong outperformance from the largest stocks often power indexes to rise, said Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Schwab, in a note Tuesday. But healthy markets should be characterized by greater participation of the “soldiers” — the rest of the stocks, she said.

One recruiter told Insider they'd seen an influx of resumès of a similar scale to the 2008 financial crisis. Executives looked 'very downbeat' at an all-company meetingHeadquartered in Zurich, Credit Suisse has a large presence in Europe. A European-based headhunter told Insider they'd "heard there were some tears" from Credit Suisse veterans about the prospect of the bank's takeover. As Credit Suisse's outflows accelerated over recent months, it appears its employees have hunted for other postings. One industry headhunter in the UK said their desk has piled up with job applications from Credit Suisse workers for around a month.

☆ Credit Suisse tells staff to keep working and that salary and bonus will be paid 'as previously communicated' after UBS takeover deal: reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

UBS sealed a deal to acquire Credit Suisse for $3.25 billion on Sunday after a crisis of confidence. "There are no changes to payroll arrangements," Credit Suisse wrote in a Q&A addressing concerns staff may have, per Bloomberg. Credit Suisse also assured staff they will still be paid bonuses for their work in 2023, according to the memo. This put pressure on Credit Suisse, whose outflows have already been accelerating over the past few months. Credit Suisse did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Credit Suisse puts new dent in Swiss bank armour
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Swiss National Bank’s intervention this week to prop up Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) was anything but uneventful. To rescue the country’s biggest lender, the government in Bern injected 6 billion Swiss francs in capital while the central bank carved off some 40 billion Swiss francs of toxic assets into a special purpose vehicle. The SNB made more than 5 billion Swiss francs from winding down UBS’s bad bank and the state booked over 1 billion Swiss francs of gains on its equity stake. Nervous clients pulled more than 100 billion Swiss francs from the Zurich-based bank in the fourth quarter of last year and may be hesitant to return. Switzerland’s two biggest banks, UBS and Credit Suisse, each had total asset exposure of between 120% and 140% of the country’s GDP.

As part of the overhaul announced in October, it is seeking to spin off merger advice and leveraged finance into a new entity named Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB), for which it has been seeking buyers. Credit Suisse is most valuable in separate parts, and there are high-level M&A talks taking place, said a senior banker who advises banks on deals. TAKEOVERSelling off parts of Credit Suisse could require time, which markets may not give. The two have complementary investment banking businesses -Credit Suisse is stronger in credit and UBS in equities. However, some have faith that Credit Suisse can still make it safely to the end of the tight rope.

Credit Suisse's shares were trading down nearly 22% in Zurich on Wednesday, and the cost of buying insurance against the risk of a Credit Suisse default hit a new record high, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Customers withdrew billions from Credit Suisse last year, contributing to the bank’s biggest annual loss since the global financial crisis in 2008. On Tuesday, it acknowledged “material weakness” in its financial reporting and scrapped bonuses for top executives. Outflows from the bank had “significantly moderated” after customers withdrew 111 billion francs ($122 billion) in the three months to December, Körner added. Körner said the collapse of SVB was “somewhat of an isolated problem.” Credit Suisse follows “materially different and higher standards when it comes to capital funding, liquidity and so on,” he added.

In an interview with Bloomberg, the chairman of the Saudi National Bank said it would not increase its stake in Credit Suisse. The Saudi National Bank — which describes itself as the kingdom’s biggest bank — committed $1.5 billion of the $4 billion in new capital Credit Suisse raised to fund its overhaul. Credit Suisse declined to comment. Customers withdrew billions from Credit Suisse last year, contributing to the bank’s biggest annual loss since the global financial crisis in 2008. Körner said the collapse of SVB was “somewhat of an isolated problem.” Credit Suisse follows “materially different and higher standards when it comes to capital funding, liquidity and so on,” he added.

Credit Suisse said in a statement that it welcomed the news. Credit Suisse shares plunged by as much as 30.8% earlier on Wednesday, leading a 7% drop in the European banking index (.SX7P). The U.S. Treasury said it is monitoring the situation at Credit Suisse and is in touch with global counterparts about it. “People are all examining their books, what open positions we have with Credit Suisse,” the source said. The European Central Bank (ECB) had contacted banks on its watch to quiz them about their exposures to Credit Suisse, two supervisory sources told Reuters.

☆ Credit Suisse Finds Material Weaknesses in Financial Reporting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Margot Patrick | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Credit Suisse has struggled to reverse an investor and customer exodus that followed the collapse of two clients in 2021.Credit Suisse Group AG said it found material weaknesses in its financial reporting over the past two years because of ineffective internal controls, the latest setback in its efforts to move past a series of costly blunders. The bank’s management, including Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Körner and Chief Financial Officer Dixit Joshi , who both started in their jobs in 2022, concluded that the controls weren’t effective, the bank said in its annual report. The weaknesses meant that controls around 2021 financial reporting also weren’t effective.

☆ Credit Suisse blunders undermine CEO’s repair job
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Credit Suisse said on Thursday it would not publish its 2022 annual report on the day, as previously planned, prompting its shares to fall by roughly 5%. The scarcest commodity at Credit Suisse right now is confidence, among both its clients and investors. Follow @liamwardproud on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSCredit Suisse on March 9 said it would delay the publication of its 2022 annual report. In the same annual report, Credit Suisse also changed the way it accounted for past share-based compensation, certain non-cash exchange rate movements and hedges. Shares in Credit Suisse were down 4.9% to 2.55 Swiss francs as of 0956 GMT on March 9.

☆ Credit Suisse 'seriously breached' obligations in Greensill case, Swiss regulator says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The logo of Credit Suisse Group in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023.Credit Suisse "seriously breached its supervisory obligations" in the context of its business relationship with financier Lex Greensill and his companies, Swiss regulator FINMA concluded Tuesday. Credit Suisse CEO Ulrich Körner welcomed the conclusion of the FINMA investigation in a statement Tuesday. In March 2021, Credit Suisse closed four supply chain finance funds at short notice related to Greensill companies. FINMA announced Tuesday that it has ordered remedial measures and opened four enforcement proceedings against former Credit Suisse managers. Credit Suisse noted that all of the requirements identified by the regulator "are being addressed through the organizational measures already underway."

☆ Credit Suisse CEO tries to bail out a leaky ship
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Chief Executive Ulrich Körner is doing what he promised at Credit Suisse (CSGN.S). The goal is to focus Credit Suisse on its steadier wealth-management and retail banking units. Revenue from trading equities was just $15 million, down 96% year-on-year, partly because Credit Suisse clamped down on risk. Clients pulled a net 111 billion Swiss francs of assets from the group during the three-month period. Credit Suisse shares were down 9.7% at 2.94 Swiss francs as of 1041 GMT on Feb. 9.

☆ Credit Suisse posts biggest loss since 2008
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Credit Suisse (CS) has reported its biggest annual loss since the financial crisis in 2008, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing the scandal-plagued Swiss bank as it attempts a turnaround. The lender on Thursday posted a loss of 1.4 billion Swiss francs ($1.5 billion) in the fourth quarter of 2022, extending a losing streak that started in 2021 and taking its full-year loss to 7.3 billion Swiss francs ($7.9 billion). In 2008, Credit Suisse made a loss of 8.2 billion Swiss francs ($8.9 billion). Customers withdrew 111 billion Swiss francs ($121 billion) in the final three months of 2022, when the bank was hit by social media speculation that it was on the brink of collapse. For example, the collapse of US hedge fund Archegos Capital Management, a client of Credit Suisse, in 2021 cost the bank $5.5 billion.

☆ Valuing Michael Klein is a fascinating sideshow
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The two sides have discussed a deal where Credit Suisse would acquire M. Klein & Company with Klein getting a stake in First Boston. Putting a price on M. Klein & Co is hard from the outside because its accounts aren’t publicly available. The size of that holding depends therefore on the relative worth of First Boston and M. Klein & Co. A 9% stake would then be worth $320 million, implying a huge payday for M. Klein & Co shareholders. If Klein makes money, Credit Suisse shareholders would do very well too.

☆ Private-equity firms are coming around to the idea of using more data in the investment process. It's still an uphill battle.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Take Blackstone, which recently expanded a data tool it originally built for its real-estate business to be used across its PE portfolio. As recently as just a few years ago, PE firms were just starting to warm to the idea of building out data-science teams. But that tech has been a hard sell for PE firms as well, until recently. Many PE firms are just now waking up to the possibilities of the public cloud. To be fair to PE firms, figuring out how to incorporate data analysis into the investing process is no easy task.

☆ Credit Suisse’s fuzzy Apollo deal better than none
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. buyer, which already has about $523 billion of client money, will also manage the remaining $20 billion of Credit Suisse’s packaged loans and mortgages, in return for a fee. The Apollo deal and other smaller transactions will only reduce Credit Suisse’s risk-weighted assets by roughly $10 billion by mid-2023, which is less than half of the $22 billion that Körner said was sitting in the unit at the end of September. Credit Suisse also said that the final sale price will depend on discount rates. Follow @liamwardproud on TwitterloadingCONTEXT NEWSCredit Suisse on Nov. 15 said it would sell the bulk of its securitised products business to Apollo Global Management. As a result of the deals, Credit Suisse’s risk-weighted assets will fall by about $10 billion.

☆ How Credit Suisse’s turnaround could work: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - CEO Ulrich Körner is raising $4 bln of fresh equity and shrinking the Zurich-based group’s trading business to put it on a steadier footing. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists debate the merits of the plan and what’s at stake if it fails. Listen to the podcastFollow @aimeedonnellan on TwitterEditing by Amanda Gomez and Oliver TaslicOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

NEW YORK/ LONDON, Nov 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - First Boston is an old Wall Street name that’s re-emerging from Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) with some new features. Credit Suisse Chief Executive Ulrich Körner is reshaping the $11 billion group to put some bad years and big losses firmly in the past. Credit Suisse is setting up joint ventures between CS First Boston and the parent’s trading and wealth management businesses, according to a person familiar with the matter. An added complication is that CS First Boston bankers could be getting paid in their own division’s stock, rather than Credit Suisse shares. Michael Klein will step down from the Credit Suisse board of directors to help launch CS First Boston, the bank said.

☆ Saudi Credit Suisse deal is fair Buffett imitation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Saudi National Bank (1180.SE) is continuing the tradition, ponying up about $1.4 billion for a 9.9% stake in troubled Credit Suisse (CSGN.S). By contrast, Saudi Arabia’s biggest bank is acquiring $1.2 billion of new Credit Suisse shares in a private placement and then participating in the bank’s imminent rights issue. Credit Suisse is targeting a 6% return on tangible equity in 2025, once Chief Executive Ulrich Körner has cut costs and shrank the investment bank. The Gulf bank has talked up the wider opportunities of partnering with Credit Suisse. That would cost SNB roughly 220 million Swiss francs, taking its total investment spend to around 1.4 billion Swiss francs.

☆ Michael Klein’s fourth act may be his toughest
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Yet his toughest task yet will be making a success of Credit Suisse’s (CSGN.S) carved-out advisory unit, CS First Boston. Credit Suisse will be reluctant to provide that, having already slashed exposures to $3.6 billion from $10.2 billion in early 2021. Credit Suisse has struggled for years to encourage the two divisions to team up on deals involving billionaire business owners. Klein’s fourth investment banking act will be his toughest. Klein, a former Citigroup banker who has been on the Credit Suisse board since 2018, will act as an adviser to Chief Executive Ulrich Körner.

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