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News - Infosys gains on ‘Capgemini bid’

Posted in Finance insurance by herreraderavin on the March 31st, 2008
Shares in Paris-based consultancy Capgemini and Indian software firm Infosys Technologies have jumped on reports of a possible merger.


Infosys declined to comment on “market speculation” that it planned to bid for the European group, bolstering its position in the technology market.


But investors chased the Bangalore firm’s shares up 2.5% in India. Shares in Capgemini rose 4.61% in Europe.


A tie-up would help Infosys prepare for an tourist insurance finance zurich slowdown, analysts said.


Outsourcing slowdown


Infosys has grown exponentially over the past five years, capitalising on the demand for IT outsourcing from India’s large and insurance agent finance career change
English-speaking engineering workforce, whose wages are on average a fifth of those in the West.


Margins are very high in consulting business as compared to other commoditised business Infosys has
Tejas Doshi, Sushil Finance


Infosys said its fourth quarter net profits leaped 70% to 11.4bn rupees ($267m; 134m) in the three months to 31 March, from 6.73bn rupees a year earlier.


But it recently said it expected earnings growth for the coming financial year to be more modest amid rising wage pressures and a finance household insurance
rupee, which makes India a less attractive bet for outsourcing.


“Margins are very high in consulting business as compared to other commoditised business Infosys has,” said Tejas Doshi, an analyst with Sushil Finance.


“If the deal with Capgemini actually happens, Infosys will be able to successfully compete with other biggies in the consulting space,” he added.


Indian outsourcing companies have increasing looked to expand their operations overseas, with TCS buying into the UK insurance business, and other firms setting up offshore centres in Eastern Europe.


Capgemini has larger revenues but lower profits than Infosys. For the whole of 2006 it reported net income of 293m euros on income of 7,700m euros.

News - Contracted out pension warning

Posted in Finance insurance by herreraderavin on the March 30th, 2008
Millions of people with private pensions will have to go back into the arms of the state - or face being significantly worse off in corporate est finance finance hill in insurance irwin mcgraw real series
, a leading pension provider has warned.

Axa says the current system for opting out of the state second pension and joining a private scheme is in danger of making savers poorer in retirement.

If people remain out of the state second pension, their incomes in retirement will be at least 13% lower than if they stuck with the state.

Millions of people have opted out of the state second pension - known as “contracting out” - because they have joined private pension schemes.

State benefit

When they opt out, a large part of their national insurance contribution - which would have gone towards a state second pension - is switched to their private scheme in the form of a rebate.



For many years some financial advisers have routinely advised clients to contract out in a bid for a better pension.


Read the contracting out Q & A

The rebate has to be big enough so that, when it is invested on the stock market, it will produce a substantial fund at retirement - big enough to generate a better pension than the state would provide.

But Axa says the rebates have been set far too low.

So people who were advised they would be better off opting out will now be much better off corporate estate finance finance hill in insurance irwin mcgraw principle real series
to the state - or “contracting back in”.

Mass migration

But if millions do what would make financial sense - and return to the state - it will be a damaging blow to the finance insurance tourist zurich
’s entire strategy for pensions.

Ministers want more people to provide for themselves in retirement.

Steve Folkard, of Axa, said: “Axa is urging the government to make changes for the current tax year and beyond or there will be a mass migration back into the state scheme.

“If we are not likely to match state benefits because the rebate is too low then, as a responsible pension provider, we believe it is right to highlight this.”

Unless rebates are raised, Axa says its own financial advisers will be telling customers to go back to the state scheme (or contract back in) because otherwise they will lose out.

Living longer

On current rebates, someone on a salary of 15,000 a year could expect them to produce a pension of just 169 a year at retirement - 30 less than they would get with the state second pension.

The government sets the rebates every five years and the last revision was in 2001.

But Axa says they no longer take account of increased life event extremal finance insurance modeling
- which has continued to rise in the last two years.

Because people live longer, their pensions have to be paid for longer, spreading a pot of pension money more thinly over a greater number of years.

To produce the same annual benefits, a much greater fund at retirement is needed. But this factor has not been taken into account in the rebates.

The government spends billions of pounds every years on the rebates.

According to some estimates, it would need to spend 1bn a year extra to raise the rebates to an appropriate level.

News - Co-op Insurance cuts 2,000 jobs

Posted in Finance insurance by herreraderavin on the March 29th, 2008


The Co-op’s insurance service is to cut 2,000 jobs over the next two years.

The Co-operative Insurance Society, alternative capital finance insurance integrated management market reinsurance risk risk series through transfer wiley
in Manchester, said 2,500 jobs would be lost in a restructuring designed to modernise the business.

They will go over the next 18 months to two years, but at the same time 500 new customer service positions are to be created, it said.

The CIS said it was responding to substantial changes in the market to ensure its future profitability.

It has not finalised what positions will be axed but it is expected that staff at its Manchester headquarters and corporate estate finance finance hill in insurance irwin mcgraw principle real series
across the country will both be affected.

The CIS has already cut 130 jobs so far this year. The Society declined to say what savings it expected to make from the move.

Established in 1867, it currently sells life assurance, home insurance, pensions, unit trusts and other financial products to more than 5m customers.

Consumer trends

In recent years, it has been affected by increased competion in the financial services sector.

It has also been slow to respond to a growing trend for consumers to buy financial products via the internet or telephone rather than directly from a financial advisor.



We need to take action now to ensure a vibrant, successful and sustainable future for our business


Mervyn Pedelty, Co-operative Financial Services

Following a comprehensive review of its business, CIS is to focus on enhancing customer service and improving the efficiency of its salesforce. It will also explore selling products from other providers.

Mervyn Pedelty, chief executive of the CIS, said its overall financial position was strong but changes were needed to better serve its customers.

Growing competition

He said: “CIS is not immune from the intensifying economic and competitive pressures occurring within its core markets and we need to take action now to ensure a vibrant, successful and sustainable future for our business.”

Unions yahoo finance insurance auto sbc
CIS staff said they were “deeply corporate estate finance finance hill in insurance irwin mcgraw principle real series
” by the scale of job losses proposed.

In a joint statement, the ACTS, Amicus, Naco, Unifi and Usdaw unions said they would seek to ensure that redundancies were kept to a minimum.

“We register our opposition to compulsory redundancies and aim to minimise job losses and maximise the use of measures such as redeployment, retraining personal finance the mcgraw hill irwin series in finance insurance and real estate
and, where appropriate, voluntary redundancies,” they said.

CIS is one of the Co-op’s largest operations, employing 9,000 staff. It recorded a long term surplus of 900m in 2003 and 1.97bn in premium income.

News - Council clampdown on bogus claims

Posted in Finance insurance by herreraderavin on the March 28th, 2008


A South Yorkshire council is launching a campaign to weed out fraudulent asset company derivative finance from in insurance insurance liability management underwriting wiley
claims which it says are costing taxpayers more than 1m a year.

Rotherham Borough Council has set up a 24-hour phone line which can be used to report suspected bogus claims.

Claims for trips on pavements doubled to 320 in 2003/4 since 1999/2000.

Philip Wardle, cabinet member for finance, said: “Money we pay out on fraudulent claims is money we could be spending on other services”.

Financial impact

The campaign will be backed by posters and leaflets warning of the serious financial impact false claims have on council budgets.

Like many other local authorities, Rotherham Council has a compulsory insurance policy excess of 100,000 on every claim.

This means that virtually all claims have to be paid directly from the council’s own funds.

Mr Wardle said: “We will honour all genuine claims, but fraudulent claims undermine the claims of people with deserving cases for compensation.

“Fraudulent claimants are export finance and insurance
a crime against their community, and we want them to be caught and punished.”

Audit checks

Details given on the 24-hour fraudline will be investigated by the local authority.

Callers can remain anonymous if they wish, and any investment mcgraw hill irwin series in finance insurance and real est
will be treated in the strictest confidence, the council stressed.

Letters sent to all claimants from 1 November will point out that the council is taking part in the 1035 annuity exchange finance insurance ira transfer initiative, and that details of their claim will be automatically submitted to the Audit Association of finance and insurance professional
to ensure claims are not being duplicated.

Similar letters are also being sent to solicitors who regularly deal with compensation claims.

From 1 November, the number to ring to report a suspected fraudulent insurance claim against the council is 0800 328 8270.

News - Zurich gets out of France

Posted in Finance insurance by herreraderavin on the March 27th, 2008


Swiss insurance firm Zurich Financial Services is to sell up its consumer operations in France in favour of concentrating on insuring dictionary finance insurance international
.

The group finance insurance job on a massive tesco finance car insurance
programme in the late 1990s which cost it dearly, leading to a $3.4bn loss in 2002 and more than 4,000 job cuts.

Now it is trying to pull back to what it sees as core operations, having returned to the black for the first half of 2003 to the tune of $601m.

As a result, its Eagle Star business in France, together with the rest of its life insurance business and all its export finance and insurance
business aside from the corporate side, are being sold to Italian insurance group Generali.

The price is remaining confidential by finance insurance statistical tool
between the two firms, Zurich said.

The move in France follows a similar sale earlier this year in the Netherlands.

News - Council clampdown on bogus claims

Posted in Finance insurance by herreraderavin on the March 26th, 2008


A South Yorkshire council is launching a campaign to weed out 1035 annuity exchange finance insurance ira transfer
compensation claims which it says are costing taxpayers more than 1m a year.

Rotherham Borough Council has set up a 24-hour phone line which can be used to report suspected bogus claims.

Claims for trips on pavements doubled to 320 in 2003/4 since 1999/2000.

Philip Wardle, cabinet member for finance, said: “Money we pay out on fraudulent claims is money we could be spending on other services”.

Financial impact

The campaign will be backed by posters and leaflets warning of the serious financial impact false claims have on council budgets.

Like many other local authorities, Rotherham Council has a compulsory insurance policy excess of 100,000 on every claim.

This means that virtually all claims have to be paid directly from the council’s own funds.

Mr Wardle said: “We will honour all genuine claims, but fraudulent claims undermine the claims of people with deserving cases for compensation.

“Fraudulent claimants are finance home insurance personal tesco
a crime against their community, and we want them to be caught and punished.”

Audit checks

Details given on the 24-hour fraudline will be investigated by the local authority.

Callers can remain anonymous if they wish, and any information will be treated in the strictest confidence, the council stressed.

Letters sent to all claimants from 1 November will point out that the council is taking part in the anti-fraud initiative, and that details of their claim will be automatically submitted to the Audit Commission to ensure claims are not being duplicated.

Similar letters are also being sent to finance and insurance school
who regularly deal with compensation claims.

From 1 November, the number to ring to report a suspected fraudulent insurance claim against the council is 0800 328 8270.

News - Standard Life deadline approaches

Posted in Finance insurance by herreraderavin on the March 20th, 2008


The insurance company’s shares will start trading next Monday on the stock market.


But current members have until 1000 BST on Wednesday to decide if they want to cash in by selling their windfall shares immediately.

They, along with ordinary customers and staff, must also decide by then if they want to do the opposite and increase their export finance and insurance
.


They can do this by subscribing to buy more shares, which are being offered to them with a 5% discount to whatever turns out to be the eventual flotation price on Monday.


Buying


Cliff Freeman, from Northiam in Sussex, gets a pension from a Standard Life policy.

Cliff Freeman

Cliff Freeman hopes to get 5,000 worth of shares


As such he is not eligible for any windfalls as he is not a member.


But he is part of the wider group of customers and staff who can apply for preferential shares with the discount.


He says he has applied for 5,000 worth of them because he wants to enhance his savings.


“I don’t know how many I’ll get. They may be scaled back and I might get just 10% of the amount I asked for.”


Hanging on


One Standard Life member, Mark Hickey from Woodford Green in north-east London, will be getting some windfall shares.

Mark Hickey

Mark Hickey plans to hang on to his windfalls


He is going to hang on to them but will not buy any more.


“I don’t have any immediate need for the cash and I don’t think there’s any point in selling them while the market is flat,” he said.


“Also, no one knows what the value of the shares is yet, so you’d be selling them blind. I’ll hang on for a year to get the bonus shares. They may even be worth more if there’s a takeover.”


That is a point emphasised by independent financial advisor Jonathan Fry.


“The insurance industry has too many players and is very competitive. The chances of a possible takeover do seem high and that would almost inevitably push up share prices,” he said.


“The main downside is that it is very difficult to assess the timescale. It might not happen quickly so I’d be cautious about buying more shares.”


Bonus shares


People who keep their new shares for 12 months continuously will get bonus shares in a year’s time, at a rate one for every 20 they have held.


If the share price were to be unchanged that would be the equivalent of a 5% bonus on the initial holdings.


But financial advisors are pointing out one important wrinkle.


If the shares are put into an individual savings account (ISA) they will forfeit this bonus.


That is because transferring them to an ISA technically involves buying and selling them back, thus yahoo finance insurance auto sbc
the idea that they have been held continuously.


The same applies to shares put into a Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) as the shares are in fact sold to the SIPP.


The pricing of the shares by Estate finance hill in insurance investment irwin mcgraw real series
Standard Life and its advisors will take place after the stock market closes this Friday.


The debut price for the shares will be announced over the weekend and trading will start on Monday.


Cheques for any windfall shares that have been sold back to Standard Life will be sent out after that and all other documentation should be sent out by 17 July.

News - Finding a cure for the UK’s pension ills

Posted in Finance insurance by herreraderavin on the March 20th, 2008


Some details from the Pensions Commission’s final report have been leaked.


Here are some of the likely options for tackling the issue of providing adequately for our retirement.

Working longer
Increasing taxes to pay for pensions
Reform the state pension


How the state pension works


The idea of a citizens’ pension has also been floated, primarily by the National Automotive finance insurance
of Pension Funds and the Liberal Democrats.


This would try to ease the problem of women failing to make sufficient NICs to earn finance and insurance school
to a full basic state pension.


A citizens’ pension would be a payment available to anyone resident in the UK who reaches a set pensionable age, finance household insurance of national insurance contributions. It would replace the current basic state pension, entitlement to which is based on NICs.


The new system could be funded by pooling all the money that is currently put into the basic state pension, the state second pension, contracted out schemes and pension credits.


But to ensure that the value of the new pension rose in line with earnings - rather than just with inflation as at present - the state pension age would also have to rise, the NAPF says.


However, a citizens’ pension could be an administrative nightmare because of the inevitable wrangling over residency association of finance and insurance professional
.

Groups such as Age Concern have suggested that female pensioner poverty would be better helped by reducing the amount of time women are required to contribute for in order to qualify for a full state pension; from 39 years to 25.

News - Meet the team

Posted in Finance insurance by herreraderavin on the March 20th, 2008

Chris was a regional BBC radio journalist in Devon and Oxfordshire before joining BBC Business Programmes in London in 1996.

Since then he has produced or presented various network radio programmes including BBC Five Live’s Wake Up to Money, Moneycheck and Financial World Tonight.

From 1998 to 2000 he worked on setting up and business finance insurance
the extended business coverage on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Chris now produces BBC Radio 4’s weekly Money Box and Money Box Live.

He also presented Money Box’s 25th anniversary special and was named BIBA (British Insurance Brokers’ Association) Broadcast Journalist of the Year 2001, in acknowledgement of his reports on topical issues.


Stephen Chilcott
Editor

Stephen Chilcott

As Editor of Weekly Business Programmes, Stephen has overall responsibility for Money Box.


He graduated from Leeds University in physics before joining Marks and Spencers as a management trainee; and then the BBC, working for 10 years on BBC Radio 4’s The World at One and PM.


In 1988 he was given control of Radio 4’s In Business programme, which he still edits.


Jennifer Clarke
Senior Producer

Jennifer Clarke

Jennifer came to work on Money Box in November 2000 after a spell as a producer on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row.


Before that she produced business news for Radio 4’s Today programme; Five Live’s Wake Up To Money and Financial World Tonight. She has also worked on Radio 4’s In Business.


Jennifer read English at Oxford before studying for a masters degree in radio production at Goldsmiths College.


Before the BBC, Jennifer was Weekend Editor at LBC radio.


Vincent Duggleby
Presenter, BBC Radio 4’s Money Box Live

Vincent Duggleby

Vincent has been in personal finance broadcasting for 25 years.


He launched Money Box in 1977 and Money Box Live in 1990. He presents Money Box Live during alternate months.


Vincent has also written for The Daily Telegraph, The Times and The Independent.


His many awards include the Unit Trust Association Best Financial Journalist of the 1980s and the FT Harold Wincott Foundation broadcaster of the year in 1992.


Bob Howard
Reporter

Bob joined the Money Box team in November 2005. He reported from more than 30 countries in five years as BBC Radio 5 Live’s international roving reporter. Bob has reported for many BBC Radio 4 programmes including From Our Own Correspondent, Crossing Continents, Woman’s Hour, PM and The World Tonight.


Jessica Laugharne
Senior Producer

Jessica Laugharne

Jessica joined the BBC in 1996.

After a short spell in Subtitling, she joined Current Affairs as a broadcast assistant on BBC Radio 4’s Analysis and Law In Action programmes.

She then worked as a researcher for various business programmes before becoming a producer on Money Box and Inside Money.


Nathalie Knowles
Web Producer

Nathalie Knowles

Nathalie joined the BBC in March 1999 to work for World Service News programmes.


She then moved to the BBC News Website in August 2000 and continued there until May 2002.


Nathalie looks after or automobile finance insurance
to a number of programme sites including Money Box, Inside Money, Crossing Continents and From Our Own Correspondent.

In 2004, the Money Box website was runner-up in the New Media section of the Bradford & Bingley Personal Finance Journalism Awards.


Paul Lewis
Presenter, Money Box and Money Box Live

Paul Lewis

Paul Lewis has presented Money Box since September 2000.


He also presents our Monday phone-in, Money Box Live in alternate months.

Since he turned full-time to writing and broadcasting on finance in 1986, Paul has won numerous prizes, most recently he was the only broadcast journalist named in the Money Marketing list of people with “power and influence in financial services”.


Before joining Money Box, Paul presented Radio Five Live’s early morning finance programme Wake Up To Money.


He is the author of Your Taxes and Savings 2002 and writes regularly for several newspapers and magazines.

Read Paul Lewis’s full biography

Visit Paul Lewis’s personal website



Diane Richardson
Researcher

Di researches stories and background auto finance insurance
, prepares briefings and finds interviewees. She also produces Money Box Live and the Money Box website.


Di began her career at the BBC World Service before working on a variety of current affairs programmes including the Radio 4 debates and the Five Live Report.


She has also researched Nice Work, Lost Leaders and The Week on Radio Five Live.



In addition to the regular staff, a number of reporters work with us from time to time.

News - History of pensions: A brief guide

Posted in Finance insurance by herreraderavin on the March 20th, 2008
A brief guide to the history of pensions in the UK:


1670sFirst organised pension scheme for Royal Navy Officers


1908 Old Age Pensions Act - introduced first general old age pension paying a non-contributory amount of between 10p and 25p a week, from age 70, on a means-tested basis from January 1 1909 - “Pensions Day”. This was introduced by Liberal politician David Finance banking insurance
. Sir William Beveridge, father of the welfare state, was an adviser.


1921 Finance Act - tax relief granted to pension schemes satisfying certain conditions.


1925 Finance home insurance personal tesco Pensions Act - set up a contributory State scheme for manual workers and others earning up to 250 a year. The pension was 50p a week from age 65.


1942 Sir William Beveridge publishes his “Social Insurance and Allied Services” report with state welfare proposals.


1946 National Insurance Act - introduced contributory State pension for all. Initially pensions were 1.30 a week for a single person and 2.10 for a married couple. Paid from age 65 for men and 60 for women, effective from 1948.


1947 Finance Act - limited the maximum amount of tax relief on pensions, and the finance household insurance that could be taken as a lump sum.


1959 National Insurance Act - introduced a top-up state pensions scheme, based on earnings and known as the graduated pension. Covered earnings between 9 and 15 a week.


1975 Social Security Pensions Act - set up the State Earnings related Pension Scheme (Serps). Introduced in 1978, the scheme replaced graduated pensions. Rules for contracting out were also introduced, whereby workers with adequate private provision can give up all or part of the benefits of Serps. In return they pay lower National Insurance contributions.


1980 Social Security Act - Link between state pension increases and average earnings broken by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government. If the link with earnings had not been broken, a basic state pension for a single pensioner would worth about 30 a week more.


1986 Financial Services Act - set out terms and conditions under which investment business could be conducted. Changes to contracting out.


1991/2 Maxwell scandal. Mirror newspaper proprietor Robert Maxwell had used about 460m from his group’s pension funds to finance business dealings.


1995 Pensions Act - response to Maxwell, which set up estate finance fundamentals hill in insurance investment irwin management mcgraw real series
and compensation schemes.


1997 Removed tax credits for pension funds on company dividends.


1999 Introduction of Minimum Income Guarantee (Mig), income support for poorest pensioners.


2001 Introduction of est finance fundamentals hill in insurance investment irwin mcgraw real series
pensions, a low-cost pensions scheme aimed at people on low to average earnings and helping women save for old age.


2002 Switch from Serps to the State Second Pension scheme.


2003 Introduction of the Pension Credit, a means-tested benefit designed to top up the incomes and savings of Britain’s poorest pensioners.


2004 First report of the government’s Pension Commission, headed by Lord Turner, outlines some of the main challenges facing UK pension provision. The report suggests that either taxes will have to rise or people will have to work longer, save more or face old age poverty.


2005The Turner commission report outlining solution to the pensions impasse published on 30 November, expected to recommend a higher state pension funded by a rise in the retirement age, and an automatic national savings scheme.

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