Category: Banking and Finance

Sept 27, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank has disputed as ‘misleading’ a statement by a rating agency that the country’s macro-economic conditions were weak, amidst rising bad loans in banks, the highest inflation in recent history and falling profits of companies. Government revenue had increased 24.2 percent to 312.5 billion rupees in the […]

WASHINGTON, September 26, 2008 (AFP) – US bank JPMorgan Chase took over struggling Washington Mutual for 1.9 billion dollars, the US Federal Deposit Insurance Agency (FDIC) announced late Thursday.The acquisition creates the largest US depository institution with more than 900 billion dollars in customer deposits, the FDIC said in a statement. In the deal, JPMorgan […]

Sept 26, 2008 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka said it is maintaining the Rating Watch on the National Long-term ratings of six Sri Lankan state-owned Regional Development Banks (RDBs) which are being merged. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 The required amendments to the RDB […]

Sept 26, 2008 (LBO) – The United States has guaranteed 540 million rupees of conflict area credit in Sri Lanka by a domestic leasing firm to bring finance into the island’s eastern province which had seen intense fighting until recently.The USAID guarantee will be effective for three years from October 1, 2008, to September 30, […]

Sept 25, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run National Savings Bank (NSB) is starting a three-month savings drive from October 01, to coincide with World Thrift Day, officials said. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 The bank was also offering gifts ranging from bicycles and […]

Sept 25, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s finance companies, especially smaller ones, could face difficulties in raising funds to maintain liquidity if the present high inflation and interest rate scenario continues, Fitch Ratings has warned. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 The rating agency said […]

NEW YORK, September 23, 2008 (AFP) – Tycoon Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway has agreed to buy five billion dollars of stock in Goldman Sachs, and could double its stake within five years, the Wall Street bank said late Tuesday. Under the terms of the agreement, Berkshire Hathaway is buying five billion dollars of perpetual preferred […]

Sept 24, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will bring in tighter laws to nab fraudsters who run fraudulent deposit scams, a government minister said, after the collapse of the latest Ponzi-style high yield scheme. Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya was responding to a question from parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa. A person calling himself Sakvithi Ranasinghe had collected hundreds […]

Sept 24, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Ceylinco Finance said it plans to merge with its subsidiary Asian Finance in a seven for two share swap. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 The company said in a stock exchange filing that the merger and share […]

Set 24, 2008 (LBO) – HSBC Sri Lanka said it had arranged a 45 million US dollar loan backed by Sinosure, China’s export credit agency, to fund an expansion of Sri Lanka Telecom’s cellular unit Mobitel. Leisha De Silva Chandrasena, chairperson of Sri Lanka Telecom, says the expansion project will provide high speed internet, mobile […]

WASHINGTON, September 23, 2008 (AFP) – The conversion of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to regulated commercial banks marks the end of an era of independent Wall Street investment firms and a separation in the industry since the 1930s. The change, announced late Sunday by the Federal Reserve, closes the door on the last two […]

Sept 22, 2008 (LBO) – Police are trying to track down a Sri Lankan businessman who has fled abroad after duping thousands of people into depositing money with his firm by promising high returns. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 Thousands of distraught depositors have […]