'Universal bank': doubts over government plan

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3G infrastructure: share and share alike

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3G mobile phones: 31 million European subscribers in 2005

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3G mobile: no health tradeoff

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3i: a move away from tech might be wise

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A&L/Abbey National: further consolidation may be on the cards

Alliance & Leicester is considered to be a prime target for a takeover bid. Recent reports suggest that Abbey National is one interested predator. This may be the start of a new round of domestic consolidation in the UK retail banking sector. However, the major players are likely to miss out for regulatory reasons.

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Abbey National/Bank of Scotland: they've started, but will they finish?

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Abbey National/Credit Suisse: bailing out insurance

The day after the UK's FSA moved to reassure investors about the safety of the life and pensions sector, two more life insurers were forced to turn to their parents for funding. Although insurance companies claim they can withstand further equity falls, many are likely to be forced into strong measures, including capital injections and redemption penalties - or even closing to new business.

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Abbey National/Homebase: bank improvements

It's another innovative move from Abbey National, which has also opened coffee shops in its branches and launched a similar scheme with Safeway. And it's certainly good to see a UK bank experimenting with its branch distribution strategies. But it's too early to say whether or not the venture will actually work.

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Abbey National/Orange: making life less complicated

It's another innovative move from Abbey National: customers will soon be able to get cash and talk time for their mobiles with one visit to an ATM. The new scheme looks set to be a winner, with similar programs already successfully implemented elsewhere in the world. Abbey is clearly the UK's leading bank in developing novel distribution strategies.

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