Stock Preacher

UBS and the US government have agreed to an out of court settlement ending one of the most bitter assaults on Switzerland’s hallowed bank secrecy laws. The case has significant implications for the future of client confidentiality, amid fears among many Swiss bankers that a dilution of traditional secrecy rules could prompt a defection by worried foreign customers. No details of the deal were revealed yesterday, pending formal signing, probably early next week. However, lawyers said the settlement would involve UBS supplying the names of least 5,000 US offshore clients and possibly paying a big fine. Shares in the bank closed up 3% at SFr16.34 on relief that the issue had finally been resolved. Read more

Popularity: 2% [?]

The world’s major financial businesses are pushing for urgent action to help the flow of funding to their subsidiaries in emerging markets and providing more support to such regions, especially Eastern Europe. The Institute for International Finance, which represents major financial institutions, intends to lobby world leaders ahead of meetings in London involving the Group of 20 finance officials, central bankers and top private bankers, according to Charles Dallara, the institute’s managing director. Among other things, the large banks would like to see the establishment of a new, powerful and global financial regulation committee, which they see as crucial to improving rules, he said. “We have seen very negative consequences from the measures taken since the fall by governments and central banks,” Dallara said by phone from Zurich, where he was attending an institute board meeting. “There has been no sense of coordination.” Referring to the mix of capital injections, deposit guarantee plans, bad asset purchases and nationalizations undertaken by governments since last summer to try to shore up lenders hit by the plunge in asset values, write-downs and the collapse in confidence.

Popularity: 9% [?]