Weale voices concern over 'persistent' inflation - papers

Martin Weale voiced fears over "persistent" inflation yesterday in a hawkish speech underlining the growing splits at the Bank of England over the path of monetary policy.

Weale, a member of the monetary policy committee, voted for interest rate hikes at the Bank's meeting last year before Europe's debt crisis exploded last summer. MORE...

HSBC Holdings is nearing a deal to sell its general insurance business for about $1bn (£627m), sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, with French insurer AXA SA and Australia's QBE Insurance Group expected to split the business. MORE...

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said elevated unemployment and subdued inflation mean interest rates are likely to stay low, without offering any sign that the economy needs an additional monetary boost. MORE...

The Governor of the Bank of England, Sir Mervyn King, has accused Britain's banks of trying to profit at the taxpayer's expense by rigging the Treasury's attempts to boost small business lending. MORE...

Banks have pushed the interest rates on credit cards, mortgages and overdrafts to their highest levels in three years despite the base rate being kept at a historic low. MORE...

One of BSkyB's biggest investors has warned that James Murdoch's exit from News International suggests he will soon also lose his position as chairman of the pay-TV broadcaster. MORE...