Nationwide is considering making a bid for the 316 bank branches that Royal Bank of Scotland has been forced to sell, according to reports.

The double-dip recession which has plagued the UK for the first half of 2012 should officially end later this week, economists are predicting, as the impact of the Olympics and the Jubilee kick-in.

Platform giant Skandia's sales force is understood to be facing a significant reduction in numbers after the group - now known as Old Mutual Wealth - revealed there will be 200 jobs lost across the business.

Barclays wealth arm is in talks with the regulator about charging asset managers administration fees when their funds are recommended for private client portfolios.

Investec's veteran stock picker Alastair Mundy said Japanese stocks are the most attractive compared to peers across the world, having fallen sharply in the last few months.

GKN, the UK-listed global engineering giant which features heavily in leading fund managers' portfolios, topped the list of losers on the FTSE 100 this morning after issuing a profit warning.

Virgin Money is poised to bid for 316 branches Royal Bank of Scotland branches, after a deal with Santander collapsed.

Direct-to-consumer platform giant Hargreaves Lansdown has called in external consultants to review its proposition and assess what technology could be added in future to enhance the service.

With equity markets more volatile than ever, and safe havens around the world looking vulnerable to a correction, investors have more things than ever to fret over as they try to steer portfolios through the turmoil.

Barry Norris, founding partner and chief investment officer at Argonaut Capital Partners, has said the collapse of the BAE/EADS merger today is a "triumph for common sense."