All articles by Verdict Staff

Cooke’s Report

I have not kept a check on the number of tens of billions of dollars banks admit to having written off over the last few months Its a lot and there would appear to be lots more to come The result, as we are regularly told, is that credit available through banks, their financial subsidiaries and specialist vehicle funders, is getting scarcer while criteria for loans are becoming tighter

Colin Tourick

Readers of this column will have heard me sounding-off in the past about how difficult it is to tell people from outside the industry what it is that we actually do – the dinner party problem. Saying I work in the fleet leasing industry is usually greeted with a glazed expression, then a weak, questioning smile.

Motor Month

Motor Month Diesel registrations were up 10 per cent and took 44.9 per cent share of the market in January

On the move

Ian Stewart has been appointed general manager at Bristol Street Motors, Worksop Peugeot

Warning for fleets over online ‘bedroom brokers’

Warning for fleets over online bedroom brokers The anonymity of the internet is proving to be a boon to so-called bedroom brokers who are creating professional-looking websites which give the impression that they are well-respected and long-established when the opposite is true, fleet broker funding provider Network Automotive has warned Network, part of LeasePlan, is concerned that unscrupulous brokers who pass themselves off as professional operators could cause damage to the UKs legitimate brokers, who have worked hard in recent years to improve the reputation of the industry and to raise levels of self-regulation

View from the US

Active and retired Ford employees can now offer special discounted financing rates to 13 friends and family members, up from eight previously

Retailer approached in takeover bid

Retailer approached in takeover bid Exciting times at HR Owen as it grows H1 profits, and plans to drop BMW and Volvo

Motor month

The August new car market was down by 18.6 per cent and 3.8 per cent year-to-date

Editor’s Letter

The eye of the storm When General Motors sold a controlling stake in GMAC to private equity firm Cerberus in 2006, some analysts warned that the decision could hurt GM in the long run, as GMACs primary focus would shift to making a return for shareholders rather than supporting the sale of GM vehicles In response, GM has launched a marketing programme Financing that Fits, to reassure customers that credit for cars is still available, although maybe not with the lender youre used to, a company spokesman said

The changing face of debt