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Diet Mistake No. 1: Racing to the Finish    There's no reward for finishing your meal in record time -- unless you're a contestant in a hot dog eating contest!   Our hectic schedules have led many of us to adopt the unhealthy habit of rapid eating.   "We need to adopt more of the leisurely, European-style eating so that we can savor our food, taste every bite, and get the signal of fullness before overeating," says Tara Gidus, MS, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.    Diet Mistake No. 2: Skipping Meals    Research shows that breakfast skippers weigh more than breakfast eaters.   There is a misconception that skipping breakfast -- or any meal -- saves calories.   The truth is that most people who eat fewer than three meals usually end up eating more calories during the course of the day.   Strive for three meals a day.   Always start your day with a healthy breakfast, but be careful to choose wisely.   "Even a low-fat muffin can have as many as 400 calories and 5 grams fat," says Joanne Lichten, PhD, RD, a nutrition consultant and the author of Dining Lean.   A healthy breakfast should contain both protein and fiber.   An egg, a piece of whole-wheat toast, and half a grapefruit has only 250 calories and will keep you feeling full until lunch.    Diet Mistake No. 3: Too Many Liquid Calories    Liquid calories from alcohol, smoothies, coffee with cream and sugar, sweetened juices, teas, and sodas can really contribute to weight gain. One recent study found that Americans get approximately 21% of their calories from beverages.   "When you drink beverages, you don’t tend to compensate by eating less because most beverages satisfy thirst and don’t impact hunger," says Gidus.   Switch from calorie-laden beverages to water, club soda, skim milk, vegetable juices, and small portions of 100% fruit juice. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation, and choose lighter drink options.    Here are some calorie counts for common beverages:    12-ounce light beer: 110 calories 12-ounce regular beer: 160 calories   8-ounce coffee with cream and sugar: 30 calories   5 ounces of wine: 120-130 calories   6-ounce wine spritzer: 80 calories 16-ounce sweetened tea: 160 calories 12-ounce diet soda: 0 calories 12-ounce soda: 150 calories 20-ounce smoothie: 410 calories    Diet Mistake No. 4: Oversized Portions    "We have gotten used to huge portions at restaurants so when we are at home, we serve up the same size and think it is normal," says Lichten.   Experts suggest a few tricks to help you trim your portions:   Leave a few bites on your plate.   Use smaller plates and bowls.   Periodically check your portions with measuring cups.    Diet Mistake No. 5: Choosing Unhealthy Add-Ons    Not only have portions crept up in size, we also have a tendency to top off our "diet" salads and other favorite foods with high-fat toppings, like bacon, cheese, croutons, and creamy dressings.   And, at fast-food restaurants, "grilled chicken and salads are not always better than a burger," notes Lichten. "It all depends on the size and the toppings."   For example, the Burger King Tendergrill sandwich with honey mustard dressing has 450 calories while their Whopper Jr., with mustard instead of mayo, has only 290 calories.   At McDonald's, the Caesar salad with crispy chicken and creamy dressing totals 490 calories, while a Quarter Pounder weighs in at 410 calories.    Diet Mistake No. 6: Mindless Eating    "Eating amnesia" is the act of unknowingly putting hand to mouth, usually from a bag or box in front of the television, while reading a book.   It can also happen at happy hour, or when you finish the last few bites on your child's plate.   "Resist the temptation to clean yours or anyone else's plate," says Gidus. "Think about your waistline instead of the food waste."   Consider the calories in small portions of some of our favorite snacks, and see how quickly they can add up when portions are multiplied:   1 Twinkie: 150 calories 12 peanut M&Ms: 125 calories 1 ounce of French fries: 88 calories 1.5 donut holes: 100 calories 3 Hershey kisses: 75 calories 3 Oreo cookies:160 calories 15 tortilla chips: 142 calories 20 potato chips: 162 calories    And how can you kick the mindless eating habit?    "First, try to get out of the habit of always eating something while you are sitting and relaxing," says Gidus. "Try a cup of tea, glass of water, or chew a piece of sugarless gum. If you want a snack, portion it out of the bag or container."

Tags: Diet. Mistakes, Six, Diet Mistakes, Weight, Loss
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The government will today announce details of its plans to reduce public spending by an additional £6bn this year. The plans are expected to include cuts in budgets for IT, property, advertising and recruitment, while some quangos are likely to be abolished. (BBC)   Trade union leaders are gearing up to fight the planned public spending cuts. Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, said the spending cuts were "dangerous" and risked causing a double-dip recession. (FT)   The government is looking into plans for an £8bn tax on banks. The figure is nearly three times higher than that originally planned by Chancellor Osborne. A VAT rise to 20% is also being considered, although one government advisor said it could be raised to 19%. (Independent)   The chief executive of retailer Kingfisher said there is a case for looking at broadening the scope of VAT rather than raising the standard rate. (FT)   The Queen's Speech at Tuesday's State Opening of Parliament will state that the government's first priority is "to reduce the deficit and restore economic growth" and to "accelerate the reduction of the structural budget deficit". (Sunday Times)   The IMF has welcomed the creation of the Office for Budget Responsibility, saying that it "could play a significant role in enhancing transparency and informing policy formulation." (Telegraph)   Outgoing MPC member Kate Barker has said she is "far from confident" that policymakers will find the right mix of fiscal and monetary policies to keep growth on track and inflation on target. Ms Barker is concerned about the possible effects on growth from further debt crises - relating to banks or governments - and believes the situation in Europe is already worse than the BoE thought in its May Inflation Report. At the same time she is not worried about current high inflation rates, believing them to be temporary. (FT)   A CBI survey showed 16% of employers plan to freeze wages this year compared with 55% a year ago. Just 3% said they planned above-inflation increases, however, while 29% said pay would rise in line with the RPI. Only 5% of employers reported recruitment freezes, compared with almost two-thirds a year ago. (FT)   The BCC estimates in its latest "Burdens Barometer" report that the toll of regulation over the past 12 years has risen to £88.3bn, marking a rise of over £11bn since last year. (Telegraph)   The government has abolished the need for home-sellers to produce Home Information Packs. HIPs were introduced by the previous government to speed up the house selling process but have been widely viewed as expensive and ineffective. (Sunday Telegraph)   RBS is close to agreeing the sale of its European private equity fund portfolio to Alpinvest, the Dutch pension fund, in a deal worth around EUR400m. The bank is looking to dispose of non-core businesses to strengthen its capital. (FT)   The government will lift the unlimited guarantee it offers on all Northern Rock variable-rate accounts today, bringing the bank in line with its competitors. The government will reduce the guarantee to the first £50,000 for each customer. (Times)

Tags: News, UK, Roundup
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European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet reiterated once again, in an interview published Friday, that the bank's monetary policy stance has not changed, despite its decision to purchase eurozone sovereign bonds on the secondary market.   The bank's moves were designed to conserve its ability to have an effective transmission of monetary policy and maintain its prime mandate of keeping inflation below 2%, he told the International Herald Tribune.   The fact that one particular country - he did not name Greece explicitly - "behaved very improperly", impacts "the full body, the whole college," he said. "That is why proper surveillance by peers is so essential," he argued.   "We have not changed our monetary policy stance," he said. The bank will take term deposits to "sterilize" the purchase of sovereign bonds, and thus eliminate an inflationary impact, he explained to the paper.   The bank's non-conventional moves were necessary to "preserve thebank's ability to have an effective transmission mechanism of its monetary policy and to carry out its prime mandate of holding inflation below 2%," he reiterated.   Additionally, addressing criticism that he has taken in recent weeks, Trichet remarked, "When you have the great honor to have enormous responsibility, you have to accept that all of your decisions can be criticized."

Tags: ECB, Monetary, Policy
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Australia's planned 40 percent tax on mining profits has set a benchmark for other countries weighing higher levies, reducing earnings forecasts for BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group and the attraction of mining stocks. “It could create what the miners are now describing at a global level as a type of tax contagion,” said Tom Price, commodities analyst with UBS AG in Sydney, in an interview. “They might levy a new tax at the miners in Brazil. Canada is another mineral province and South Africa.” BHP, the world's largest mining company, Xstrata Plc and Rio said they are reviewing projects in Australia, the No. 1 exporter of coal and iron ore, after the government unveiled the tax this month, saying a country's resources belong to the people. Citigroup Inc. Sydney-based analyst Craig Sainsbury said Canada, Peru and Chile may be next. “Resource nationalism” is a major risk facing miners in the next few years, Evy Hambro, manager of BlackRock Investment Management Ltd.'s flagship $14.3 billion World Mining Fund said last month. India's mines ministry is seeking to levy a windfall tax on “super profits” made by minerals exporters, the ministry's special secretary S. Vijay Kumar said yesterday. Chile, the biggest copper exporter, is proposing a temporary rise in mining taxes to help pay for earthquake reconstruction that may cost BHP, Xstrata and Anglo American Plc $1.2 billion in the next two years. Brazil, the second-biggest iron ore exporter, may tax shipments of the commodity or raise royalties, Energy and Mining Minister Edison Lobao has said.     ‘Markets Suicide’   The Australian tax plan is “global financial markets suicide,” according to Charlie Aitken, the executive director of Southern Cross Equities Ltd., the equal top ranked predictor of BHP's share price performance of 17 analysts, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Mining companies’ earnings may be cut by almost a third when the tax starts in 2012, Moody's Investors Services said this week. The tax would be broadly credit negative for the sector and raise uncertainty for some companies over the short- to-medium term, Moody's said this month. The tax may also prompt European and Scandinavian nations to seek a greater share of revenue from production, Magnus Ericsson, a senior partner at Raw Materials Group, a mining data and analysis company, said this month. The proposal will make Australian mines the highest taxed in the world, according to Minerals Council of Australia. “Economies, particularly European economies, are going to have to deal with deficits,” said Jamie Nicol, chief investment officer at Dalton Nicol Reid in Brisbane, which manages about A$550 million ($472 million) including BHP and Rio shares. “They are going to look at some sort of innovative tax solutions to try and claw back some of that.”     Levy Wars   Fortescue Metals Group Ltd., Australia's third-largest iron ore exporter, has dropped 22 percent and BHP's Melbourne-traded stock has fallen 9.8 percent, while the Australian currency has slid 10 percent since the government announced the tax on May 2. Fortescue this week placed $15 billion of projects on hold, citing the tax. BHP fell 0.6 percent to A$36.75 at the 4:10 p.m. close of trade in Sydney on the Australian stock exchange, Rio declined 1 percent and Fortescue dropped 7.8 percent. Nations that resist the tax urge may attract investment. South Africa taxes mining companies at 33 percent, Canada 23 percent and China 30 percent compared with a forecast 58 percent in Australia after the tax, according to Citigroup data. Canada's Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said this month he's opposed to raising taxes and the Australian levy makes Canadian companies more competitive.     China Demand   Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan has said he “strongly disagrees” with claims the tax will damage miners. China's demand for Australian metals will outweigh higher taxes, according to AMP Capital Investors Ltd., a unit of the country's largest pension plan provider, which hasn’t changed its industry assessment. The tax will result in a 6 percent to 7 percent increase in mining investment in Australia, Trade Minister Simon Crean told reporters yesterday in Shanghai, citing economic modeling. Rio, the world's third-largest mining company, this month said it will spend $401 million to boost iron ore output in Canada, citing the “attractiveness of investing” in the North American nation. BHP has said the tax would stymie investment. “It doesn’t matter if it's the Congo or Sudan, or it's Australia or Canada, these projects require commitments by governments that are 30 years and when they move the goal posts they will have a serious rippling effect,” said Frank Holmes, chief investment officer of U.S. Global Investors Inc., which manages about $3 billion. “They could stifle the world.”

Tags: Australia, Tax, Taxing, Mining, Global, Impact
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Trouble in Iceland is bad news for UK investors again   Investors in British Airways can be forgiven for wondering if Iceland's Eyjafjallajoekull volcano might be a member of the Unite union, as its recent eruptions bring havoc to Europe's skies for the fifth day running.   It is thought that the two strikes so far will have cost BA about £45m, but the grounding of its entire fleet because of the current volcanic ash cloud that is covering much of northern Europe is losing the company around £15m-£20m a day -- it has already wreaked more havoc than the two work stoppages combined.   Having recently announced that it lost £50m in the final quarter of 2009, the March quarter will be hit by the strike, and now its 2010-11 year is off to a disastrous start.   But while the current volcanic disruption will hurt BA, it is still a long way from bankruptcy and will certainly survive the crisis.   In statement announced the estimated cost of the disruption, BA was quick to point to its ample cash reserves of £1.7bn, plus £400m in available credit.   BA added that it would be asking EU governments for compensation, hoping they follow the precedent set by the US government when its airspace was shut following 9/11.    Budget airlines affected, too    And even though they don't have the cash or turnover of British Airways, the UK's favourite budget airlines, Ryanair and Easyjet are not exactly going to the wall either.   With 85% of its flights affected, Easyjet said it had already lost £40m and the continuing daily loss was running at £5m.   But it softened the blow by saying profits for the half year to 31 March 2010 would be at the top end of expectations, despite the cold snap in January and February.   The picture is similar at Ryanair.   According to analysts, Ryanair is on for something like €450m in profits this year, and the current downtime is costing it about €7m a day -- something the company could easy recoup by charging passengers for the oxygen they consume during the flight.   TUI Travel, which is in the FTSE 100, said it had lost £20m so far with ongoing costs running at £5m to £6m a day.   Fellow tour operator Thomas Cook said it was losing £7m a day.   Best of the Best, the AIM-quoted business that "displays luxury cars as competition prizes within airport terminals", said the airspace closure would hit its full-year profits but didn't quantify the loss.   Worried investors have still responded badly, with Easyjet shares having fallen about 4% since last week, while both BA and Ryanair are down some 8%. TUI and Thomas Cook have both lost about 6%.   But it's not all bad news, and those concerned about global carbon dioxide levels might take some cheer from this chart, showing how much more of the stuff five days' worth of grounded flights would have added to the atmosphere, compared to Eyjafjallajoekull's contribution.

Tags: Airlines, Ash, Cloud, Iceland, British, Airways, ...
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A major new initiative to help new businesses find affordable premises and cut the number of vacant units across the capital was launched by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and the Workspace Group today.   A new web site, ‘London New Enterprise’, will bring together up and coming firms looking for office space and landlords with property to let. The site encourages landlords to list their available units to new companies at significantly reduced commercial rates, while also providing business, legal and financial guidance for new firms. Powered through the website www.anyspacedirect.co.uk it has been built free of charge by the Workspace Group.   Property vacancy levels in the capital have increased considerably since the recession. A report compiled for the British Property Federation, by the Local Data Company, showed London had a 13.9 per cent shop vacancy rate compared to a national figure of 12.5 per cent. Even though the supply of property is high there are many new businesses in London still looking for premises.   ‘London New Enterprise’ has been developed by the Mayor, Workspace Group, Capital Enterprise and is supported by the British Property Federation. It follows a City Hall roundtable, where they discussed how the Mayor could promote the use of empty properties in London.   The scheme seeks to broker vacant units through the website, which lists and match properties in London that are suitable for new businesses and commercial property seekers. Benefits to new business include the use of short-term lets and encourages a flexible environment for them to work in. Landlords and agents can make use of free listings on the website, encourage new social enterprise hubs, and can use ‘fag end leases’ where businesses on long leases have vacated early.   Launching the scheme today at offices in Kennington, the Mayor met with businesses that have benefited from similar offers through Workspace. He was accompanied by BBC's The Apprentice winner Tim Campbell, from the Bright Ideas Trust, and Harry Platt, the Chief Executive of the Workspace Group. Speaking to the audience of small businesses, enterprise support agencies and property owners, the Mayor issued a call to action for property owners to make their empty units available to the capital's new businesses.   The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “It's absurd that right now, across the capital, there are so many properties lying vacant while new businesses are looking for space and opportunity to grow. These innovative firms are the backbone of the London economy and with the launch of this fantastic new website we can help both businesses and property owners get the right deal.   “The winning factor with this new initiative is that it has public, private and industry support. London remains a city full of opportunity and this new website is another weapon in the capital's armoury to stimulate enterprise, revitalize empty properties and create employment opportunities for Londoners.”   Harry Platt, Chief Executive of Workspace said: “As London moves forward from the recession, SMEs and new business start ups will be an important component of the recovery. At Workspace we have used incubator units and special start up leases and we know this approach works well and encourages entrepreneurs. In our view, the long leases demand by institutional landlords do not sit well with people starting a new business. They need flexibility and controlled costs. This initiative with the GLA is, we feel, an important part of growing London's SME community.”   Tim Campbell, founder of the Bright Ideas Trust, said: “We know that to help with the economic prosperity of the capital we need to support aspiring small business owners in every way we can as they will be the driving force behind any recovery. There is growing amount of evidence we see here at the Bright Ideas Trust that the high cost of accommodation in London is deterring new entrepreneurs setting up in London and with the Mayors support of this website we hope that we can get rid of one of the obstacles deterring the next generation of entrepreneurs.”   Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation, which represents developers, landlords and investors, said: “This initiative is about demonstrating the industry's responsible attitude towards new businesses and its desire to help them find a stable platform for the long-term. By overcoming the financial burdens or getting into property and offering the right advice, the industry can also help itself at a time when vacancies are still rising. We accept it's not good enough simply to complain about the government's lack of help for small business, we want to play a real part in supporting the recovery ourselves. New Enterprise London is the perfect way for us to convey that landlords are committed to the long-term prosperity of communities."   John Spindler, CEO Capital Enterprise, said: "According to our member Prince's Trust, over 25 per cent of new business ventures supported by them fail to start because they can’t find affordable property in the right locations. We hope the www.londonnewenterprise.co.uk website will go some way to helping to solve this problem”.

Tags: London, Advice, Website, New, Businesses
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Google can't seem to let a week go by without launching a new product, or introducing a new service. The latest announcement from Google is the Google Apps Marketplace--launched yesterday with over 50 third-party partners contributing unique add-ons and functionality that extend the value of Google Apps.   The Google Apps Marketplace has some immediate and obvious benefits for Google. Google Apps, as capable as it may be, does not match the functionality and flexibility provided by Microsoft Office. By leveraging third-party solutions, but integrating them into the Google Apps infrastructure, Google instantly expanded the potential of what Google Apps can be.   Let's look beyond Google, though, and examine the benefits the Google Apps Marketplace provides for other parties.    Google Apps Administrators    Spencer Chen, director of communications for Memeo--one of the partners involved in the Google Apps Marketplace launch, explained via e-mail that the Google Apps Marketplace offers excellent advantages for Google Apps administrators. "Starting today, a company's domain administrator can very easily procure, configure, and deploy third-party services all from a central destination--the Google Apps Marketplace."   Chen continued "Previously, they had to search through the Web on their own, or peruse through the old Google Solutions Marketplace to find third-party apps...which--let's face it...was like a flea market."   David Barrett, CEO of Expensify--another Google Apps Marketplace partner, also responded via e-mail. "Google Apps is a free (or near-free), reliable infrastructure for any small to medium business' core Internet needs. Google Apps Marketplace builds atop this by adding third-party applications. This extends the single sign-on, universal navigation, and centralized billing and administration benefits of Google Apps to an even larger set of the company's infrastructure."    Google Apps Users    Google Apps users get simple, one-stop-shopping access to whichever Google Apps Marketplace apps their Google Apps administrator has added or configured. Users still log in to Google Apps as they always have, but now the features and functionality will be extended according to what the administrator has configured.   Memeo's Chen described the end-user experience. "Once their IT department adds the new service to their respective domain, the new service will show up as a universal navigation link. From there, the users simply have to click on it to access the new service. Easy."    Google Apps Marketplace Partners    Expensify's Barrett discussed some of the obstacles faced by smaller companies trying to reach the SMB market and provide services or applications from the cloud. "The SMB market is huge, but hugely fragmented. To thrive in this market you need a very scalable, very cost effective way to get the word out."   Opportunities to leverage the reach and reputation of respected cloud-based providers like Intuit, Salesforce.com, and now Google by participating in targeted online markets such as the Google Apps Marketplace opens doors that would be difficult for companies such as Expensify to get through on its own.   Barrett clarified "IT managers are particularly "high leverage" leads because they don't merely sign up one user at a time, but actually sign up entire companies. Accordingly, Google Apps Marketplace is poised to be a very substantial supplier of high-quality leads to companies selling into the SMB space, and its 20 percent revenue share is a very reasonable price of entry."    Due Diligence    Services linked to Google Apps through the Google Apps Marketplace may expose sensitive information to the third-party provider. Chen explained "Newly added services can access your data from your Google Apps account. So, the thing that customers have to be mindful of is the trustworthiness and viability of that third-party vendor."   Chen cautions Google Apps users--but particularly Google Apps administrators, to exercise some due diligence and an ounce of cautious skepticism. "The process makes it so seamless now, customers may be forgetting about this finer point."   The Google Apps Marketplace may not put Google Apps on even ground with Microsoft Office, but it definitely extends the functionality of Google Apps and provides a more comprehensive and flexible platform for customers. All in all, it seems to be a win-win-win for Google, the third-party Google Apps Marketplace partners, and Google Apps customers.

Tags: Google, Business, Marketplace, Apps
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Twitter may have just passed the posted its 10-billionth tweet, but the majority of businesses continue to ignore the business potential of the micro-blogging service.

A new study conducted by Virgin Media Business (VMB) reveals that just 16 of the UK's FTSE 100 companies use Twitter on a regular basis to communicate with customers – this despite more than half having signed up.

Launched in July 2006, Twitter's 140-character messaging platform has built steadily in popularity and is now one of the most used forms of communication on the web. Having reached the five billion tweets milestone in October, its has taken just five months for that number to double.

According to VMB, one in every five tweets contains references to products or brands, and with Twitter now handling upwards of 50 million tweets a day, it's a huge opportunity businesses are failing to take advantage of.

“We have seen Twitter use skyrocket recently, and some five billion tweets have been posted since October alone,” said Phil Stewart, VMB's director of customer service. “With so many people sharing their thoughts online, it's no surprise that many are talking about companies. Clearly this presents an excellent opportunity to engage with customers, but many are missing out.”

Stewart added that companies that created accounts but then failed to use them weren't doing their public image any favours. “Creating a Twitter account and leaving it dormant or not responding to tweets by your customers is no better than opening a contact centre and not picking up the phone. In fact it is a lot worse as this lack of interaction can be viewed by millions.

“Companies should respond to customer enquires and take part in conversations about their brand or industry transparently. It might take a few minutes each day, but this could be time well spent if it helps to strengthen relationships with customers, build links with prospects and take part in the dialogue that is shaping attitudes and responses towards your business.”

The 10 billionth tweet was posted just before noon this morning. However, the contents of the landmark tweet aren't known, as the poster has protected their updates.

Virgin Media Business was launched last month as a re-branding of NTL:Telewest, with Virgin boss revealing the company would be building on the consumer brand's reputation to offer a wider range of services to more types of business.

Tags: Twitter, Companies, Business, Tweets, FTSE
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The Sunday Times reported yesterday that the Spanish banking giant was considering selling a minority stake in it's UK baking business of 25% in order to raise capital to open more bank branches.
 
The UK banking business includes the former Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley savings business.
 
Santander is considering buying the 300 bank branches that Royal Bank of Scotland has been forced by the European Union to put up for sale.
 
It is believed the bank will seek to float it's UK banking business after successfully floating its Brazilian business last year. Brazil is a key market for Santander. The UK accounts for just 16% of the banking giant's global profits, with Latin America and Spain its biggest markets.
 
Santander refused to comment on the speculation over the weekend.
 
The Bank managed to increase deposits by 8 per cent in 2009 as UK savers opened 1.1 million new bank accounts. Loans grew by 5 per cent, while the group now claims a 19% market share of UK gross new mortgage lending. Santander bought Abbey in 2005 for £9 billion while the proposed floatation could raise as much as £15 billion.
 
The rebranding of Abbey and Bradford & Bingley branches was completed at the end of January and all three UK banks will be known as Santander by the end of the year.
 
Meanwhile, customers of Santander were yesterday unable to use cash manchines or online servies after the bank suffered a power cut.
 
The power failed at 11.00 am on Sunday following internal testing which affected more than 2,000 cash machines for the UK's third largest retail bank.
 
Customers were still able to use cards at tills for products up to a certain, undisclosed, value and for cash-back.
 
A Santander spokesman said power was returned at around 5.30pm with all ATMs and online banking services restored..
 
The Santander spokesman said its customers were able to withdraw cash from other banks' ATMs within three hours of the power failure.
 
He apologised for any inconvenience and said individuals with any outstanding issues or who felt they were financially disadvantaged should contact the company.

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Tags: Santader, UK, Business, Banking, Float
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Lending to British businesses shrank by 4.6 percent in September, driving the 12-month growth rate to a record low, the Bank of England said Thursday.
 
Major banks expect subdued demand for new lending through the fourth quarter, supporting expectations of slow recovery in the British economy.
 
Meanwhile, government borrowing was 11.4 billion pounds in October, raising net debt to 829.7 billion pounds, equivalent to 29 percent of gross domestic product, the Office for National Statistics said.
 
September's fall in corporate borrowing followed negative lending flows in the first and second quarters, and the 12-month rate fell to minus 6 percent, the bank said.
 
"While some business contacts of the Bank's agents particularly from larger firms outside of the property sectors reported that credit availability had eased, many others continued to report concerns over access to finance," the Bank of England said.
 
"The major U.K. lenders reported that an increase in competitive pressures had led to some narrowing of spreads on lending to larger businesses."
 
Net lending was down 0.7 percent in the first quarter, 5.1 percent in the second quarter, 15.6 percent in July and 1.1 percent in August.
 
Elsewhere, the Council of Mortgage Lenders said gross mortgage lending in Britain rose to 13.5 billion pounds in October, up 5 percent from September but 27 percent below a year ago.
 
Lending for house purchases has risen but re-mortgaging activity is at the lowest level in a decade, the council said.
 
"The annual comparison should start to improve a little in the coming months as underlying lending volumes dropped sharply in the latter part of 2008 and early 2009," the Council said.
 
Tags: Business, Lending, Shrink, September, 2009
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