All articles by Jo Tacon
Jo Tacon
Broker focus for Grosvenor Contracts Leasing
Fleet management and leasing company Grosvenor Contracts Leasing is to target the sub-20 unit fleet sector through a newly-launched broker division, Fleet Connections.
Sticking to its guns
Jo Tacon talks to Norman Beaumont of ACF Car Finance about the importance of finding a winning formula in sub-prime finance – and sticking to it.
Mixed picture for December used car prices
Auction houses BCA and Manheim have reported that average wholesale used car selling prices in December 2008 were nearly £1,000 lower than in December 2007.
New online car auction company launched
There is a new player in the car auction company- which is making a mark by offering clienrs a three-pronged price promise. Paragon Remarketing will not charge buyers’ fees, and will offer customers a 100 per cent money back guarentee along with free transport.
H&S breaches to be punished more severely
A new law which came into force on January 16 gives courts more powers to punish employers for breaches in health and safety- with imprisonment now a sentencing option.
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Editor’s Letter: Mixed messages
The press and opposition politicians have lambasted Baroness Vadera, under-secretary of state for business, for saying in an interview that the green shoots of recovery can be seen in some sectors of the UK economy.
Sale-and-leaseback comes to the fore
Fleet lessors are receiving more enquiries about sale-and-leaseback from business customers looking to boost their cash position, two leading fleet companies have reported.
Head in the clouds
Terry Dann looks at the opportunities in cloud computing for financial services businesses Cloud computing: everyones talking about it from Timothy Gartner, to The Economist, to the man-in-the-street (or my son at least)
Uneasy times
I recently went to the NACFBs Meet the Patrons networking day at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull It was a great chance to talk to vehicle finance brokers, and their funder partners, about market sentiment.I recently went to the NACFBs Meet the Patrons networking day at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull. It was a great chance to talk to vehicle finance brokers, and their funder partners, about market sentiment. No clear picture emerged of what is happening in the marketplace. Some said they were writing more business than ever, while others bemoaned the dearth of funds available and the conservatism of funders. One finance house that has become more conservative in its choice of which brokers to use is British Credit Trust – see Non-prime lender review broker connections for more.
Blue expands its brokering business as cost of funds rises
Non-prime finance house Blue Motor Finance has reacted to the recent credit crunch by retracting its lending business and increasing the business it proposes to its brokerage operation Managing director John Byrne confirmed the change in strategy, while stressing that the decision to increase its brokering business was taken purely because the rise in the cost of funds made it uneconomical for Blue to continue lending through its dealer partners We had made a commercial decision in January to slow our new business levels, whilst looking for profitable partnerships