Hbos Share Discussion Threads

[unicorn77] 14/12/2008 20:31

if Lloy pull out of the deal, it will cost them a hell of alot

not worth it if they have business sense...unfortunately we all know they haven't

[stoaty1] 14/12/2008 17:37

The deal was voted in by both set of shareholers. No warenty as to writedowns as far as i am aware.

[mova] 14/12/2008 15:36

Devbod - this is the same question i have been asking myself (as an hbos holder - converted lloyds to hbos on friday ) why hasnt the ratio between the banks improved ............. how could i find out about the certainty of the deal happening by mid jan - thankx

[ladeside] 14/12/2008 15:25

In response to AndrewBaker, as an HBOS employee I can tell you that the majority of hard working staff in my business centre are earning a pathetic 12 - 14k per annum and certainly are not being flown around the world on freebie trips. I might also add that these same individuals have also lost a great deal of money through the share price plummeting. So the next time you have some ridiculous idea that HBOS is "being run for their staff", I would strongly advise that you check your facts.

[devbod] 14/12/2008 15:23

> is there a possibility even a 0.001 % chance this deal could get called off ?

I wondered this too. Lloyds now have the right to go ahead but do they have an obligation? You could argue that the HBOS writedown announcement was a material change. Not holding either but making a quick profit on the share price realignment is tempting. Thing is, much deeper and better informed pockets than mine are trading this and the share price difference is still there even after the HBOS vote.

So ditto the question above, any chance that Lloyds could still pull out?

[mova] 14/12/2008 15:03

is there a possibility even a 0.001 % chance this deal could get called off ?

[taffee] 14/12/2008 14:59

lets just hope andy hornby never works again

[careful] 14/12/2008 14:52

if they pile on the agony too much then lloyds may reject.
but i do not think so.
this is a done deal, lots of nods and winks by BOE and HMG.
Institutions will behave.

i am hoping that HBOS provisions last friday were a 'kitchen sink' excersise ahead of the merger.
god help us if there is more to come.

[optomistic] 14/12/2008 10:49

"RKJONES - 13 Dec'08 - 21:20 - 24150 of 24155


iii flat trade sounds alright but in my opinion - and I know from personal experience - the prices on spread are poor and completely negate the keen dealing price."

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I haven't found the spreads uncompetative RK. but if the quote comes up not to your liking you just don't click 'buy' and let it lapse.
Which broker(s) do you use now RK?

[stoaty1] 14/12/2008 10:40

Pipa, i would say the complete opposite if there any conspiracy, to make sure of a yes vote.

[pipa tits] 14/12/2008 10:33

Can't help but think the bad news from HBOS responsible for the latest drop
was a calculated effort against the take over by Lloyds.

[matt c] 14/12/2008 09:24

From The Sunday Times
December 14, 2008

Anthony Bolton calls share rally in new year
Commercial property and the banks will lead new bull surge, predicts veteran stockpicker
Kathryn Cooper Money Editor

ANTHONY BOLTON, one of the City's most respected fund managers, has urged investors to prepare for a new bull market early next year, led by banks and property stocks. The veteran investor, who ran Fidelity's Special Situations fund for 28 years before standing down in 2007, believes that the FTSE 100's November low of 3,781 will prove to be the bottom of the downturn, with shares rallying sharply in the first three months of next year.

Bolton also called the bottom of the commercial-property market, in which real-estate stocks slumped 47% over the past 12 months. He said that he would be happy to buy commercial property at yields of 7.5%, despite warnings from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors last week that prices could fall a further 25%. Speaking to The Sunday Times about the investment outlook for 2009, the stock-picker said that all the signals he usually uses to pinpoint a rally were in place. "Everything I need to see for a bottom is there. Valuations look cheap and you often get this kind of high intra-day volatility at a turning point. All the pieces are in place for a rally in the first quarter. The first stage of the bull market will be quite strong and be followed by a long period of consolidation. In the long run the market could return to its peak [6,930 in Dec 1999] but it could take quite some time."

He would buy a basket of UK bank stocks at current levels, including those bailed out by the taxpayer – Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB and Hali-fax Bank of Scotland. He said: "Sentiment has become extreme and governments have strengthened their balance sheets. One or two may have to raise additional capital, but that is why you should own a basket."

On commercial property, he said that yields of more than 4 percentage points above Bank rate more than compensated for the risk that some tenants might go bust. Central to Bolton's optimism is his view that while the recession will be as bad as during the 1980s and 1990s, it will not be as severe as the 1930s. "The economy and unemployment are going to get worse but markets tend to bottom six to 12 months before the economy. It is the worst financial crisis I have ever experienced, but governments are doing more than I have ever seen them do before," he said.

Bolton expects next year's rally to be led by financial stocks and so-called consumer cyclicals such as retailers. "Commodity and mining shares were the main players of the last bull market and you don't find that what has led the last bull market leads the next one," he said. Bolton does not always get it right – he first said he saw value in the markets at the end of September. The Footsie then fell a further 14%. "I wasn't going to get right the week or the month, but I hope I got the right quarter. I made some more personal investments in October and again in November," he said.

[wig123] 14/12/2008 07:52

By Mark Kleinman and Ben Harrington
Last Updated: 11:01PM GMT 13 Dec 2008

Paul Capital, which specialises in acquiring illiquid private equity holdings in the secondary market, has appointed advisers from Compass Partners, a boutique firm, to advise on the potential purchase of investments made by HBOS's integrated finance arm.

Lloyds is talking to other potential acquirers of the division, which holds stakes in Caffe Nero and David Lloyd Leisure, left, although formal discussions are unlikely to begin until after it completes the takeover of HBOS next month.

Paul Capital was founded by Philip Paul, an American financier. He is one of the pioneers of "secondary market" private equity investing, making his name in 1991 when he bought 43 venture capital and private equity buy-out positions from the Hillman Company. It is unclear how much Paul Capital is willing to pay Lloyds for the HBOS shareholdings.

There may also be other secondary market private equity investors interested in HBOS's private equity investments, such as Coller Capital, a fund founded by British financier Jeremy Coller.

Vision Capital, which is run by former Goldman Sachs banker Julian Mash, also specialises in buying packages of private equity investments from other buy-out firms.

[porridge3] 13/12/2008 21:27

Andrew

I think your comments are very unfair to ordinary staff who work in the branches and offices around the country, I am sure thay have had a worrying time over the last year wondering if they will have a job in the new year, not all the staff are rempaging all over the world on office jollies.

[rkjones] 13/12/2008 21:20

iii flat trade sounds alright but in my opinion - and I know from personal experience - the prices on spread are poor and completely negate the keen dealing price.

[andrewbaker] 13/12/2008 18:01

One of HBOS major problems is that it's been run for the staff, not the customers or shareholders. For examples of their ineptness try

Hopefully LLoyds TSB will sort that out, but first they need to dump the 1000s of useless staff they have, and stop spending other peoples money on junkets to New York and expensive hotel booze-ups in the name of "team building." Their bad lending will take longer to sort: the bad debts will just keep piling up.

[lyntwyn] 13/12/2008 16:08

iNside2 , yes and i bet the the very same managers off on this jolly are the ones who accumulated the most bad debts!! just like the head of corporate lending. he will also probably travel as their tour guide.

[optomistic] 13/12/2008 15:15

Mellious22, have a look at iii. I use them as well as TDW, cash has to be in the account before trading (no T trades) but deals are done instantly not like TDW who sometimes will delay and miss the price. iii flat rate £10.

[inside2] 13/12/2008 15:08

Fear not careful. All this fiscal stimulus will come to nothing as Japan proved over ten years of trying that approach. I can't bring myself to blame the banks since the 80's they have been run by self interested clowns and were all running scared they they would not get as much bonus as their peers. It the politics, Bush and Brown who would not heed the warnings and regulate the dept pile.
A more recent fiscal stimulation that failed quite specularly was tried by Germany. The writing is on the wall for Brown and my money is on Cameron to win the bet. What a wonderful thought, no more loony left wing Trotsky's screwing the country up.

[mellious22] 13/12/2008 14:20

cheers, the thing is I already have a TDW a/c and HSBC are being prats at the moment and blocking my account so I cannot trade!

[spennysimmo] 13/12/2008 14:12

Yes, TDW offer exactly that.

[mellious22] 13/12/2008 14:09

Does anyone know of a sharedealing a/c I could open and use instantly with £10k+ available funds prior to settlement, any help would be great, thanks.

[bordersboy] 13/12/2008 14:09

reward hbos staff after doing what exactly ? "exceptional performance and gone the extra mile."

hold on until i remove the wool from my eyes.