By Ian Fraser Published: Sunday Herald Date: February 20th, 2005 PENSION practitioners and policymakers have been living in a fool’s paradise for the past two decades, according to the chairman of the Pensions Commission, Adair Turner. Turner believes traditional defined benefit (DB) schemes suffered death by one thousand costs as administrators overestimated their resilience in [...]
By Ian Fraser Published: Sunday Herald Date: February 13th, 2005 BRITAIN’S high-street banks have been accused of putting profits ahead of customer service by the head of one of Britain’s most prominent consumer bodies. Ed Mayo, chief executive of the National Consumer Council, told the Sunday Herald: “There is a yawning and growing gap between [...]
By Ian Fraser Sunday Herald February 13th, 2005 Banks are raking in the profits but neglecting their customers HAVE you seen the Little Britain sketch in which a customer asks their disinterested bank clerk, Carol, for a £2000 loan? Carol nonchalantly types some data into her terminal. After the numbers are crunched she replies: “Computer [...]
By Ian Fraser Sunday Herald February 6th, 2005 ALAN Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve, (pictured above) is a “bigger threat to the US economy than Osama bin Laden”, according to a leading Scottish investor. The claim comes from Robin Angus, director of the £150 million Personal Assets Trust and adviser to Edinburgh University’s Centre [...]