STV chief denies ITV subsidy claim

The chief executive of STV reiterated the case for keeping a separate licence for the terrestrial channel in Scotland and dismissed suggestions that the station was subsidised by London-based ITV.

HBOS has 'secret dossier'

HBOS confirmed yesterday that it would be submitting confidential information about its financial position to the Competition Appeals Tribunal.

Buyers sought as mill runs out of work

Buyers are being sought for Selkirk's 116-year-old Heather Mills after administrators were called in to run the business which has just two weeks of work left.

JJB Sports in talks with banks as shares slide

JJB Sports, the struggling sportswear retailer, said it was continuing to hold "constructive discussions" with its debt providers, Barclays Bank, HBOS and Kaupthing.

Lloyds chief remains confident HBOS merger will go through

Eric Daniels, group chief executive of Lloyds TSB, remains confident that his bank’s proposed acquisition of Bank of Scotland parent, HBOS, will go through, despite a late appeal to the Competition Tribunal by the Merger Action Group.

Bank of Scotland reassures small businesses on price of its loans

Bank of Scotland yesterday promised small businesses a cut of up to 80 basis points on the price of its loans after securing funding of £250m from the European Investment Bank.

	Services shrinking as recession deepens
	The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee is expected to cut base rates by a full percentage point today after a closely watched survey showed the services sector contracted at its fastest rate in 12 years.

Souter set to increase stake in Stagecoach

Stagecoach chief Brian Souter is considering increasing his stake in the company after its shares plunged 20% on the back of a confirmation to investors that a slowing economy is likely to affect its rail business and lead to job cuts.

Round one to rebels in fight over HBOS deal

The group of businessmen trying to halt the Lloyds-HBOS merger yesterday welcomed a successful preliminary hearing at the Competition Appeals Tribunal.

Sibir angers investors again

Shares in London-listed Sibir Energy crashed yesterday after the Russian oil firm said it would buy more distressed real-estate assets from its key owner for $340m (£215m) in cash and debt.

Sterling plunges to lowest for 13 years

Sterling yesterday plunged to its lowest level in almost 13 years, hammered by expectations that the Bank of England will opt for another large interest rate cut this week in a move to avoid a recession turning into a protracted slump in the wake of a new salvo of grim economic data.

Shares up 7% as AG Barr produces juicy set of results

Shares in Irn-Bru maker AG Barr bubbled up 7% yesterday as the group reported a resilient performance in the third quarter.

Call for ministers to support emerging technology

A leading champion of the emerging technology firms that could be key to the UK's commercial future said ministers needed to dramatically increase support for the sector to help it emerge stronger from the current downturn.

Drop in oil prices forces Melrose Resources to cut capital expenditure and production

Melrose Resources, the oil and gas independent, said it would slash capital expenditure by 25% next year to reflect falling oil prices and warned that production would also fall.

Classic Lodges checks in bigger turnover but deeper losses

Classic Lodges, the upmarket hotel operation that is part of Trevor Hemmings's leisure empire, posted increased losses in the latest year despite recording a strong increase in turnover.

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