Pawnbroker earns as consumers scrap for cash

UK’s biggest pawnbroker, H&T boosts earnings as desperate consumers turn in jewellery to boost their pockets

Business Bigshot: Katherine Garrett-Cox

The 40-year-old has been named chief executive of Alliance Trust, the £2.6 billion Scottish investment trust

A&L chief in line for £750,000 takeover bonus

The bank's 7,500 workers will also each receive over £900 of shares in Santander, which is buying Alliance & Leicester

Hedge funds at a loss to cope with mood swing

Investors are facing huge losses as hedge funds have been wrongfooted by change in market sentiment over the summer

A&L outlines Santander takeover deal

More than 560,000 Alliance & Leicester shareholders are being urged to support the £1.3bn takeover by the Spanish bank

Mortgage market is set to shrink by a fifth

Analyst claims UK lending will fall by 20 per cent by the end of 2008, with borrowers yet to feel full crunch impact

Morgan Stanley sued over mortgage venture

The investment banking giant is facing a £9m lawsuit after it abandoned plans to enter the Irish mortgage market

Alliance Trust promotes 'Katherine the Great'

The Scottish investment company will replace Alan Harden with former Morley fund manager Katherine Garrett-Cox

Markets take fright on deepening credit fears

Former IMF chief economist warns of one large US bank failure as European and Asian stocks take a pounding

B&B's new £3m boss says he can add value

Richard Pym vows to grapple with an adverse contract that obliges the bank to buy £350m worth of mortgages from GMAC

Hiscox says even the rich go on the fiddle

Robert Hiscox, chairman of the eponymous insurer, said the rich are not immune to fiddling in times of financial strain

Michael Page looks beyond London for profits

The recruitment company has tried to reassure investors it can weather the credit crunch after ending talks with Adecco

EFG-Hermes buys stake in Panmure Gordon

Leading Egyptian investment bank in the Gulf has bought a 9.97 per cent stake in London-based stockbroker for £3.2m

Eyes on the Fed at annual symposium

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke seems intent for now to leave interest rates and wait to see how much more damage the economy will sustain

London is most resilient retail spot in UK

Value of goods sold in the capital jumped 6.2 per cent in July from levels last year, but whole of Britain fell 0.9 per cent

Panmure Gordon sells stake to Egyptian bank

EFG-Hermes pays £3.2m for a 10% share in the London-based stockbroker in the hope of benefiting when market turns

Bradford & Bingley ... BHP Billiton ... Woolworths: Tempus at lunchtime

B&B questions ... good as it gets at BHP ... Woolies still shivering

Tempus analysis: Question time

The bank's two announcements have raised quesions, not least what will now happen to Rod Kent, the chairman?

Hiscox insurance defies the gloom

Profits from the wealthy and small businesses more than double for group whose cover includes fine art and kidnap risk

B&B names new chief as banks nurse cash call hit

Alliance & Leicester's former chief Richard Pym secures £2.25m pay deal after bank sells just 27.8% of its rights issue