AIG seeking life raft in the wake of the Lehman storm

AIG has seen its share price tumble amid doubts over its financial stability. As a result, the US's largest insurer is looking for ways to come through its current financial crisis. Although the source of this solution remains unclear, a decision needs to be made as soon as possible, before the mounting financial crisis worsens.

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AIG: insurance regulators must find delicate balance

AIG, the insurer at the centre of an accounting scandal, has admitted that a transaction between itself and General Re was incorrectly recorded as an insurance deal. AIG's misdemeanor comes at a time when the global insurance industry is under severe scrutiny. While insurers must act to put their house in order, over zealous regulation is unlikely to help their efforts.

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AIG: lure of the Orient

AIG [AIG] intends to steal a march on its rivals by launching a credit card in China. The insurance giant is awaiting regulatory approval and is yet to announce whether it will introduce a card in local or foreign currency. This diversification away from insurance and towards personal finance should prove to be a profitable move.

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Alea Group: time to sell up?

Following Standard & Poor's decision to downgrade the specialist insurer and reinsurer Alea from A- to BBB+, it is questionable whether the group can continue to meet its obligations, particularly if trading conditions were to worsen. The effects of Hurricane Katrina will do little to ameliorate the climate for insurers, and the company may yet be forced to put itself up for sale.

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Allfunds Bank: UK offering may struggle to replicate Spanish success

Allfunds Bank, a joint venture between Sanpaolo IMI and Abbey's parent Grupo Santander, will launch its third-party distribution platform in the UK. The venture accounts for about half of the third-party fund distribution market in Spain, but the company is unlikely to enjoy the same strong performance in the UK.

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Alliance & Leicester takeover could signal an end to UK banking competition

Banco Santander announced on July 14 that it had, rather hastily, agreed a deal to take over Alliance & Leicester for a reported GBP1.2 billion. While regulators welcome the move, the deal also symbolizes another nail in the coffin for innovative competition in the UK banking market.

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Alliance & Leicester: cards unit red-carded

Mortgage bank Alliance & Leicester has agreed a deal to sell off its credit card book. Although A&L has not yet released details of the agreement, it's likely to be an outsourcing deal with a player such as MBNA. As consolidation makes it harder for smaller players to compete in the market, this decision looks like a good move for the bank.

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Alliance & Leicester: judgment day draws near

Scores of recent news reports have concentrated on potential takeover bids for Alliance & Leicester. They may not be so far from the truth. A takeover bid will not be as straightforward as it first appears, but Alliance & Leicester cannot stave off interest from suitors such as Abbey National forever.

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Alliance & Leicester: no riches from the mass affluent

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Alliance & Leicester: spreading the net

Alliance & Leicester's [AL.L] decision to shut 15% of its branch network in October is a result of consumers' increasing use of Internet and telephone banking. While the initial hype surrounding uptake of such direct channels proved to be an exaggeration of reality, some of the promises of online banking are slowly starting to materialize.

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