The Times * HSBC mulls splitting off Midland if it moves to Asia HSBC Plc Holdings may spin off its UK division into a separate business, reviving the old Midland Bank. The move could be considered as part of the far-reaching review by Britain's largest bank, announced on Friday, into whether to move its headquarters to Asia amid rising costs and increasingly onerous regulations in the UK. (http://thetim.es/1PIEx7w) * Record fine halves Deutsche profits First-quarter profits at Deutsche Bank AG have halved after the bank was hit by a record fine, and comes in advance of a long-awaited restructuring that could lead to job losses among City traders in London. (http://thetim.es/1DOrRDR) The Guardian * Slow GDP growth in first quarter puts pressure on Osborne George Osborne's stewardship of the economy is expected to take a dent on Tuesday when the latest official figures show last year's healthy growth has lost momentum. With just over a week until the election, the chancellor will come under pressure from critics following a run of poor figures from the manufacturing and construction sectors that City economists predict have slowed growth in the first quarter. (http://bit.ly/1HLsSni) * BP and Shell to report 60 pct collapse in first-quarter profits BP Plc and Royal Shell Plc will this week report a collapse in first-quarter profits of around 60 percent on the same period of 2014, underlining the financial damage being inflicted by low oil and gas prices. Analysts predict BP will be hit the hardest, putting further pressure on chief executive, Bob Dudley, as he tries to steer the company back to full health amid continuing fallout from the Deepwater Horizon accident. (http://bit.ly/1GxPxDm) The Telegraph * Number 10 warns of opposition to potential BP bid The Government has met with BP Plc in recent days to express its opposition to any potential takeover of the oil major. The move by Downing Street comes on the back of speculation that BP could be the next company to be caught up in the wave of consolidation in the energy sector. (http://bit.ly/1EH4we2) * Lloyds takes 640 mln pounds hit from TSB's Spanish sale Lloyds Banking Group Plc will this week take a 640 million pounds ($972 million) hit to profits from the sale of TSB Banking Group Plc to Spain's Banco Sabadell . The taxpayer-backed bank is due to recognise the loss at its first-quarter results, sending profits falling despite an improvement in underlying performance. (http://bit.ly/1buP9YK) Sky News * Car-leasing giant revs up 100 mln pounds windfall Investors in the UK's biggest independent car-leasing group are toasting a 100 million pounds windfall just a year after the merger of two smaller rivals created an industry powerhouse. (http://bit.ly/1J1tJ0g) * Labour to cap rents to help 'generation rent' Labour plans to bar private landlords from raising rents faster than inflation over a three-year period if it wins power after the General Election. Party leader Ed Miliband described Labour's blueprint as "a plan for a stable, decent, prosperous private rental market where landlords and tenants can succeed together". (http://bit.ly/1EH503N) ($1 = 0.6586 pounds) (Compiled by Shivam Srivastava in Bengaluru)
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