Banking & savings

UK based property investment and development company Helical Bar (LON:HLCL) has launched a seven-year retail bond paying 6 per cent a year. 

The market for bonds issued by household brands is set to rise from £90 million to £1billion this year, Capita Registrars have claimed.

Stephen Snowden, co-manager of the consistently top quartile £558 million Kames Investment Grade Bond fund, has warned investors that despite their popularity retail bonds are not a fixed-income panacea.

The Jockey Club Racecourse Bond, which pays a 7.75 per cent yield, does not sufficiently compensate investors for their risk, according to Adrian Lowcock, senior investment manager at Hargreaves Lansdown.

Independent financial advisers (IFAs) are preoccupied with hanging on to their clients and making money to replace lost commission streams, research has revealed.

Doorstep lender International Personal Finance plc (LON:IPF) has issued a seven-year retail bond paying 6.125 per cent.

The head of Managing Partners Limited, a boutique fund house, has urged governments to ‘embrace inflation in order to nurture the green shoots of recovery’.

Investment professionals have warmly welcomed Chancellor George Osborne's announcement that there will be a 12-week consultation to allow the transfer of Child Trust Funds (CTF) to Junior ISAs (JISAs).

Bradford based subprime lender Provident Financial (LON:PFG) has issued its fourth retail bond in three years paying 6 per cent a year.

AgriBank, a specialist in the UK agriculture sector, has launched a range of bonds.

A 'mystery shopping' review by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has found that a quarter of advice issued in UK banks and building societies is below standard.

Paragon Group, one of the UK's leading independent providers of buy-to-let mortgages and a FTSE 250 company, has released a 7-year retail bond paying 6 per cent a year.

The latest inflation figures mean that savers can no longer use bank accounts to safeguard their wealth.

Over 90 per cent of private investors believe investment companies should be legally obliged to fully disclose their costs, according to a survey commisioned by the True and Fair Campaign.

The UK's largest independent producer of North Sea oil and FTSE 250 listed company, EnQuest (LON:ENQ), has launched a nine-year retail bond at 5.5 per cent.