News


We give you summaries of the latest regulatory news, research and other technical issues of interest to IR and Financial PR practitioners. Each news article gives you a link to the source of the news. Our news section is updated at the end of each month and if you are a registered user you will receive an email alert containing the headlines.
 
Latest news headlines and summaries
29 JULY 2008
> FSA Launches Criminal Prosecution for Insider Dealing and Arrests 8 in Further Investigation

18 JULY 2008
> Black Sun Survey on Half-Yearly Reporting
Black Sun's survey of half-yearly reporting, released on 18 July 2008 assesses the impact of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules (January 2007) on non-December year-end reporters, with a focus on: What companies are calling their report, what content is contained within the report and how the document is distributed – either through print or online...

18 JULY 2008
> FRC launches review of complexity and relevance of financial reporting
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has launched a project to review the complexity and relevance of current company reporting requirements, including financial statements, accompanying management commentary and other reports...

16 JULY 2008
> LSE issues AIM disciplinary notice in respect of four companies

08 JULY 2008
> FSA and ICSA urge companies to warn shareholders about boiler room scams
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) have jointly issued a standard warning leaflet for issue to shareholders about the dangers of boiler room scams. They urge listed companies to issue the warning to their shareholders...

02 JULY 2008
> FSA Opts for General Disclosure of CFDs
Following its consultation paper issued in November 2007, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has published an update on disclosure of contracts for difference (CfDs)...

01 JULY 2008
> FRC issues revised Combined Code
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has issued a revised version of the Combined Code...

01 JULY 2008
> FSA fines computer professional £85,000 for market abuse
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has fined John Shevlin £85,000 for market abuse. Mr Shevlin was an IT technician at the Body Shop International plc....

30 JUNE 2008
> FinanceTalking new tutor – Julianne Jessup, MA ACII
FinanceTalking is delighted to announce that Julianne Jessup will be joining us as an associate tutor.  Julianne Jessup has 25 years of experience in the City which includes ten years in investment banking as an equity analyst specialising in insurance. In this role she was ranked leading analyst of the insurance broking sector in both the Extel and Institutional Investor surveys for three consecutive years...

27 JUNE 2008
> FinanceTalking Launches Market Abuse elearning Package
FinanceTalking announces the launch of its Market Abuse elearning Package, developed in response to the FSA’s publication of "Principles of Good Practice for the Handling of Inside Information"...

26 JUNE 2008
> Bradford & Bingley placed on “amber top” by ABI’s voting service
The Institutional Voting Information Service (IVIS), operated by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), announced that it has placed an "amber top" on the amended rights issue by Bradford & Bingley and proposed sale of a 23 per cent stake to TPG Investment, due to “breaches of fundamental principles of sound governance”...

25 JUNE 2008
> Black Sun releases research into FTSE 100 narrative reporting
Back Sun Plc has released its third annual review of FTSE 100 narrative reporting, Complete 100 – another year of moving forward , and has found a continuing improvement in the quality of narrative reporting, although not the step change seen in earlier years...

24 JUNE 2008
> SEC launches fundamental review of disclosure obligations
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched a fundamental review of the way in which it acquires information from public companies, mutual funds, brokers, and other regulated entities, and the way it makes that information available to investors and the markets...

19 JUNE 2008
> Meridian Petroleum publicly censured and fined £75,000 for breach of AIM Rules
Meridian Petroleum Plc has been publicly censured and fined £75,000 by the London Stock Exchange for breach of AIM Rules 10, 11 and 31...

18 JUNE 2008
> Alistair Darling announces changes to structure of City regulation
In his Mansion House speech, the Chancellor Alistair Darling announced changes to City regulation in the wake of the Northern Rock crisis...

15 JUNE 2008
> BERR issues frequently asked questions on disclosures to be made on websites and official documentation
The Companies (Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/495), which come into force on 1 October 2008, set out trading disclosures that must be made by all UK companies on their website, emails and on official documentation such as headed notepaper and invoices...

15 JUNE 2008
> E-comms legislation risks disenfranchising retail shareholders argues Merchant
In its latest edition of “Who Does What”, Robert Moser, the Managing Partner of Merchant Group LLP argues that the legislation allowing public companies to default to electronic communication with shareholders has led to companies offering a confusing mixture of annual reports, annual reviews, summary financial reports and electronic communication, none of which has improved communication...

13 JUNE 2008
> Woolworths fined £350,000 for delay in disclosing inside information
The FSA ruled that this information was precise, not generally available, and if disclosed  would be likely to lead to a significant fall in the price of Woolworth shares, and so should have been disclosed immediately on 20 December 2005 in accordance with Disclosure Rule 2.2.  Instead the information was released in a scheduled trading statement on 18 January 2008, nearly a month later...

13 JUNE 2008
> FSA announces new disclosure regime for short selling in advance of a rights issue
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) announced new measures having effect from 20 June 2008, requiring disclosure of significant short positions in shares traded on prescribed markets which are undertaking a rights issue. At the same time the FSA has announced a wider review of how capital raising by companies can be made more orderly and efficient...

06 JUNE 2008
> FSA warns that the issue of a preliminary results announcement does not fulfil DTR 4.1
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has warned issuers that the issue of a preliminary results announcement does not fulfil the requirement under DRT 4.1 for quoted companies to publish their Annual Report and Accounts within four months of the financial year end...

06 JUNE 2008
> FSA changes advice on wording of e-communications letters
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has changed the advice given in List! 17 with regard to letters to be sent to shareholders asking them to “opt in” to receive hard copy communications, or be deemed to consent to receive notification of electronic communications instead...

05 JUNE 2008
> Market abuse – super-equivalent provisions to be retained until 31 December 2009
Following its consultation announced in February 2008, the Government has stated that the “sunset clauses”, which retain the UK’s more restrictive, or “super-equivalent” rules on market abuse, are to be extended to December 2009...

05 JUNE 2008
> FSA issues Market Watch 27, including principles of good practice on handling price sensitive information
In its Market Watch 27, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has published its “principles of good practice for handling inside information” and given an update on its review of controls in place over inside information at regulated and unregulated firms in advance of announcements of a public takeover...