Aon and Willis Towers Watson call off $30bn insurance mega-merger over monopoly concerns July 27, 2021 Insurance giant Aon and Willis Towers Watson have agreed to terminate their $30bn (£22.9bn) merger agreement in what would have created the world’s largest insurance broker, and have blamed U.S. regulators’ objections for unacceptable delays and uncertainty. Aon cited an “impasse” with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as the reason behind the decision to [...]
Ian Hudson given four years in prison for fraudulent trading July 26, 2021 The unauthorised financial adviser was sentenced to four years imprisonment today for fraudulently carrying on regulated activities, bringing to a close charges laid by the FCA in May. Ian James Hudson was food guilty of fraudulent trading by Judge Tomlinson at Southwark Crown Court. The length of his sentence is made up of one count of [...]
Watchdog slams KPMG for ‘unacceptable’ bank audits for third year running July 26, 2021 KPMG has been called out for failing to meet standards in its bank audits for the third year in a row, by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) in a review published on Friday, that found that a third of large company audits by the biggest UK firms failed to meet standards. The industry watchdog called [...]
FRC chair says slow board appointments pose “grave risk” to the watchdog reform July 26, 2021 The interim head of the Financial Reporting Council has said there is a “grave risk” that the slow pace of appointing board members could result in delays to the watchdog’s reformation plans. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC), which oversees the governance of the UK’s biggest listed companies, has been without a permanent chair since May [...]
Sigh of relief within legal community as Supreme Court upholds non-compete clause after four year battle July 23, 2021 Following an epic four year legal battle, consumer action law firm Your Lawyers won this morning a Supreme Court action against rival firm Harcus Sinclair (HSLLP). The case was closely monitored by many ,law firms in the City and across the country. The UK Supreme Court ruled today that a non-compete clause which HSLLP gave [...]
EY accused of concealing fraud in $8bn legal claim by NMC Health founder July 22, 2021 Ernst & Young, along with two other banks, face accusations it “actively concealed” a six-year fraud from investors in a new lawsuit over its auditing work for NMC Health, according to reports. BR Shetty, the Indian-born founder of the hospital operator, filed a court document in New York, alleging that the company had been subject [...]
EY Parthenon brings on former government advisor Mats Persson as partner July 22, 2021 EY has announced the appointment of Mats Persson, a former chief of staff to Sajid Javid, as a partner in its strategy and transactions business. Persson had already been acting as an independent advisor over the last year, designing strategies for transport and energy companies, the auditing giant said in a statement published last week. [...]
Ashurst’s equity profit bounces back to £1m per partner July 21, 2021 London-based law firm Ashurst has seen their equity per partner profit total to more than £1m in the previous 12 months from April 30. After five consecutive years of revenue growth the company has seen a 15 per cent growth in their partner profit over the year. Revenue for the company was also up 10per [...]
Cognizant acquires data specialist TQS Integration July 21, 2021 Cognizant announced its acquisition of Irish data intelligence firm TQS Integration, the fifth deal of 2021 for the global consultancy as it boosts its industrial data arm. The deal, announced yesterday, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021 and will see Cognizant further develop its presence in Ireland. It is the latest [...]
Law firm DWF reports strong year with revenue over £400m July 21, 2021 DWF Group, the international legal firm, has reported a rise in its revenues to £400m, in its full year results released today. Revenue rose to £401m for the year ended 30 April 2021, representing a 12 per cent increase from £357m in the previous year. Net revenue also grew by 14 per cent to £338.1m. DWF’s [...]
