UK Business News

BG Group bid in doubt as Origin strikes deal

Origin shares leap 28% to above BG Group's bid price after the Australian gas giant signs venture with ConocoPhilips

FSA fines hedge fund manager over credit trades

Steven Harrison must pay £52,500 and has been banned from trading for 12 months after receiving inside information

• FSA arrests eight in insider dealing raids

• FSA fines Winterflood £4m over market abuse

'Help families to cut their bills or else'

Ministers are holding the threat of a windfall tax over energy companies to try to force new moves to cut household bills

Skipton turns to parents in loan offer

Mortgage lenders are turning to borrowers' 'Bank of Mum and Dad' to offset the risk of lending to cash-strapped first-time buyers

World Business News

Washington Mutual ousts boss after $19bn loss

Latest credit crunch casualty leaves with benefits worth almost $24m while his replacement signs on for $10m

Lehman international head to leave in shake-up

Jeremy Isaacs will leave the troubled US bank after 12 years as it continues to seek ways to boost its balance sheet

• Business big shot: Jeremy M. Isaacs

• Plan to split Lehman as sale stalls

Ferrovial sells Belfast City Airport

The Spanish company is expected to sell some of its other assets next year after a review by the Competition Commission

• Ferrovial to put Belfast airport on the block

• £10bn BAA debts eat into Ferrovial

Silver State joins US banking casualties

The bank has become the eleventh in the US to fail after losses from house loans and land forced regulators to shut it down

Analysis

US bazooka trumps UK peashooter

By helping to stabilise the US housing market, the US action should bring some benefit to the British

• Fannie and Freddie investors prepare for worst

• Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailed out by US Government

Tough times for dame of the LSE

Clara Furse, head of the London Stock Exchange, has shown she can handle herself in battle, but now she has to do it again

Sterling pounding but not a bloodbath

The tide has gone out on sterling and, to paraphrase Warren Buffett, it does not appear to have been wearing any bathing trunks

• Misery for traders over world economies

• ECB decides on bigger 'haircuts' for banks

Money 

Invest with the cream of society

The Guinness family’s wealth managers are launching a retail fund

• Guinness story moves from riches to rags

• Diageo to cut jobs in plan to fortify Guinness

Millions to gain from tax rebate

Many taxpayers will be £60 better off this month following a government u-turn

• How the 10p tax u-turn will affect you

• Scrapping of 10p tax rate will hit millions

Lenders rake in millions in fees

Mortgage lenders have been accused of employing underhand moves to boost their profit margins – tripling their loan fees

Law 

Clifford Chance sets out to improve image

The world's biggest law firm has pledged to reduce its environmental impact and increase pro bono work

• Clifford Chance makes record £1.3 billion

• Slaughter and May v Clifford Chance: who is pursuing the best route?

Taxman plans to call in City law firms

HM Revenue and Customs say it will pursue a zero-tolerance strategy against individuals and companies who avoid tax

FSA challenged over insider trading case

A father and son accused by the financial watchdog have asked for the criminal case against them to be thrown out

business travel 

Summer business class sales extend into September

British Airways, Virgin and bmi aim to win premium traffic with offers throughout autumn and winter

Airline failure: are you covered?

Airline failure insurance seems like a good idea but it doesn't cover every carrier

• No such thing as a free lunch for US business travellers

• Why your airfare is different from your neighbours

BA opens dedicated business check-in at Heathrow T5

Premium passengers will no longer have to share check-in desks with those in economy