Bank

Law firm is preparing claim on behalf of 30,000 consumers who fear the FCA’s redress scheme will shortchange themLloyds Banking Group is facing a court battle with 30,000 aggrieved car loan customers who are set to abandon the City regulator’s official redress scheme amid fears it will shortchange consumers and favour lenders.The claims law firm Courmacs Legal is planning to file a £66m omnibus claim on behalf of borrowers who believe they were financially harmed by car loan contracts set up by Lloyds’ motor finance arm, Blackhorse. Continue reading...

• UBS announced on March 27, 2026, that its US subsidiary, UBS Bank USA, was approved by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national bank charter. • This approval expands UBS's US banking operations amid fintech sector growth. • The move positions UBS to compete more directly in the US digital banking landscape.

Aipac-backed lawmakers denounce ‘extremist’ violence in West Bank as support for Israel becomes a political liabilityAs Israeli settlers ramp up violent attacks on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, often as Israeli forces stand by, denunciations are mounting in the US, even from Democratic legislators and public figures who are typically staunch defenders of Israel.In recent days, dozens of settlers have torched homes and vehicles and attacked Palestinians in apparently coordinated attacks. Since the start of the month, Israeli settlers and police have killed at least 10 Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, including two young brothers and their parents as they returned from a Ramadan shopping trip. Continue reading...

Dozens of former Israeli military, police and spy chiefs describe situation as ‘organised Jewish terrorism’Middle East crisis – live updatesIsrael has not prosecuted its citizens for killing Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank since the start of this decade, , a Guardian analysis of legal data and public records show, creating impunity for a campaign of violence.Attacks have spurred former prime minister Ehud Olmert to call for an intervention by the international criminal court (ICC), to “save the Palestinians and us [Israelis]” from state-backed settler violence, carried out with the complicity and sometimes participation of the police and military. Continue reading...

• Bank of America reinstated coverage of Microsoft (MSFT) with a Buy rating and $500 price target, implying 31% upside potential on March 24, 2026. • Analysts cite durable multi-year growth in cloud and AI, positioning Microsoft to capitalize across infrastructure and applications. • The reaffirmation comes amid tech sector pressure from geopolitical tensions, highlighting AI monetization as a key beneficiary.

NYPD have yet to catch suspect who appears to be on losing streak after stealing limited funds from Chase banksAn allegedly well-practiced New York bank robber is on a losing streak – and still on the run – after hitting six Chase branches across Queens, Brooklyn, Harlem and the Bronx over five consecutive days and coming away with just $605, according to authorities.New York police have yet to catch the suspect, identified as 33-year-old Gustavo DeJesus Torres, who began holding up the banks on Friday, 13 March and informing tellers in a written note that they might get hurt if they didn’t hand over the cash he demanded. Continue reading...

• All major central banks adopted hawkish stances last week as energy market disruptions reignited inflation concerns, prompting global reassessment of monetary policy outlooks and eliminating prior rate-cut expectations. • U.S. Federal Reserve rate cut bets over the next 12 months have been priced out entirely, while most other advanced economies have begun pricing in additional rate hikes; the December Monetary Policy Report that implied a 25 basis point rate cut to 3.75% by Q4 2026 is now obsolete. • The combination of persistent energy price shocks and hardening central bank stances creates a "brutal combo for risk assets," with the dollar index remaining anchored in the 96.00-100.00 range as USD risks remain skewed to the upside during periods of financial market stress.