HBOS shares plunge as bank admits scale of house price fall
	Shares in banking group HBOS plunged nearly 7% yesterday after it conceded it now expects a significantly bigger fall in house prices than it did in late April and flagged rising bad debts in its mortgage and corporate loan books.

What to do about the offer?

If HBOS shareholders back the company's appeal for a £4bn fundraising at a general meeting on June 26 they will have less than a month to decide whether to take up the offer. T

Bus orders driving firm’s high turnover

Bus maker Alexander Dennis is rebounding from a huge dip in pre-tax profit last year with a bumper bus order for the UK and Ireland and an innovative arrangement to ship vehicles to Hong Kong.

	Meteoric rise in retail sales baffles City
	UK retail sales rocketed by 3.5% during March alone, a rate which would annualise to 42%, according to official figures yesterday which have a strong claim to being the most astounding economic data in recent years.

ITI agrees deal with anti-hacking provider Metaforic

ITI Techmedia announced yesterday it has reached a licensing arrangement with Metaforic, a Glasgow-based firm that supplies products to counter computer hacking.

Bank appoints Bean as deputy

Charlie Bean has been appointed as the new deputy governor for monetary policy at the Bank of England, the Treasury announced yesterday, adding that Spencer Dale will replace him as chief economist at the central bank.

Schuh on good footing, plans further expansion in England

Schuh, the Scottish footwear retailer, plans to continue expanding south of the border this year after recording strong growth in earnings and sales in the latest period, despite widespread jitters on the high street.

Loch Fyne Oysters purchase nets it vital base

Loch Fyne Oysters has ended an 18-month search for a base in the south of England with the purchase of Surrey-based Simson's Fisheries.

Borrowing figures add to woes of pressured Chancellor

Chancellor of the Exchequer Alastair Darling faced more grim economic news yesterday after official figures showed a bigger than expected jump in public borrowing during May.

Growth in inward investment

The number of inward investment projects in Scotland reached a five-year high in the latest year despite the gloomy global economic outlook, but the levels nevertheless remain well below those recorded at the turn of the decade.

Johnston Carmichael hopes to benefit from credit crisis

The chief executive of Scotland's biggest independent accountancy firm said the challenges faced by the profession's Big Four and banks amid the credit crunch would boost small firms by making it easier for them to recruit.

	King gives warning on wages as Darling strengthens Bank
	Bank of England Governor Mervyn King last night warned that people would have to bear a squeeze on real take-home pay this year, and lambasted those who claimed the Monetary Policy Committee should focus on growth rather than inflation.

Housebuilders plummet

Shares in Britain's biggest housebuilding companies fell sharply again yesterday, after a leading investment bank predicted the UK property market would be hit by a three-year slump.

Scottish economy will escape worst of slump

Economic growth will slow less sharply north of the Border than in the UK as a whole, but the SNP target of matching UK-wide expansion by 2011 will not be met because Scotland will not enjoy the same strong rebound.

MPC: Further drop in house prices probable

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee believes the UK housing market has "deteriorated sharply" and further "significant"

More ...