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HBOS profits down 51%

HALIFAX Bank of Scotland today said a £1.1 billion hit from the credit crunch saw profits more than halve in the first six months of the year. Read

Shell profits hit just under £8bn

ROYAL Dutch Shell racked up profits of almost £8 billion during the first six months of this year, results from the Anglo-Dutch firm showed today. Read

Gas firm profits plunge nearly one-fifth

BRITISH Gas parent company Centrica today posted half-year profits of £992 million, a day after hitting millions of customers with a record hike in gas bills. Read

Sales fall 6% at clothes retailer Next

Next, one of Liverpools largest retailers, said it remained cautious about trading prospects today after the high street chain reported a 6% fall in half-year like-for-like sales. Read

Credit crunch is great news for high-interest lender Provident

Consumer lender Provident Financial today said half-year profits soared by more than a third after winning new customers shunned by cautious high street lenders. Read

Cadbury benefits from credit crunch comfort eating

Dairy Milk maker Cadbury today posted a 46% leap in first-half profits and said it would take “whatever measures necessary” to combat commodity cost rises. Read

800 jobs go at Northern Rock

Nationalised lender Northern Rock is make around 800 compulsory job cuts as part of its efforts to shrink the business, the firm said today. Read

British Gas sticks up prices 35%

The UK’s biggest domestic energy firm tonight hit millions of households with its biggest-ever hike in gas bills. Read

Northern Rock to cut 1,300 jobs

TROUBLED mortgage lender Northern Rock is to cut 1,300 jobs - 800 of them compulsory. Read

Norwich Union policyholders offered payouts

PAYMENTS averaging £1,000 are to be offered to one million policyholders in two of Norwich Union Life’s with-profit funds, insurer Aviva said today. Read

Lloyds TSB suffers from credit crunch

BANKING giant Lloyds TSB today said credit crunch losses and woes in its insurance business wiped 70% off first half pre-tax profits. Read

Bumper profits for BP

Rocketing oil and gas prices helped BP to bumper profits today as motorists felt the pain at the petrol pump. Read

Eight arrested during "insider trading" probe

Police made eight arrests today in connection with a major probe by the City’s financial watchdog into insider dealing. Read

BA announce plans to merge with Iberia

British Airways today ended months of speculation by announcing it was to merge with long-term Spanish partner Iberia. Read

Mortgage squeeze on "until 2010"

The squeeze that contributed to mortgage approvals hitting a record low last month will last until 2010, a Government-sponsored report warned today. Read

"Significant doubt" over Cains future

LIVERPOOL brewer Cains says there is "significant doubt" over its ability to continue as a going concern after posting a £4.5m half-year loss and enduring the most difficult period in its history. Read

UK inches towards recession

The UK edged closer to recession today after official figures showed growth fell to just 0.2% between April and June. Read

John Lewis reports surge in fashion lines

Department store chain John Lewis today said demand for fashion ranges helped it exceed last year’s weekly sales haul. Read

Present list service struggles to find rescue deal

Hundreds of couples will have to wait a week to know the fate of their wedding gifts as present list service Wrapit struggles to secure a rescue deal. Read

Patientline unveils price cut plan

The new owner of failed hospital telephones and televisions firm Patientline pledged today to lower call charges for thousand of patients. Read

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