Sainsburys Bank has determined that cost of a two day trip to Moscow to watch the UEFA Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea will cost each supporter an average of GBP624. This is without a flight, which would add greatly to the total.
Over GBP300 of this will be spent on the hotel room, with meals, transfers and sundry expenses taking up the rest. The total spend for adds up to around GBP40 million says Sainsburys Bank, which is a lot of money to put into Russian coffers.
Good advice from Sainsburys Bank is to shop around for the best rate on currency since it can make a real difference. They also recommend combining a good rate with good quality service to get the best overall package.
The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, apparently told the people of the UK that Northern Rock could be sold for a profit in the future while his own advisors had said otherwise.
Gordon Brown had stated in a press conference in February that Northern Rock could be sold for a profit when the financial markets had recovered, though the advisors brought in to look at the options for Northern Rock had said a GBP450 million loss was the best possible outcome, with the most likely result being a loss of GBP1.28 billion. This figure was based on stable house prices, so in the current climate the loss is expected to be even greater.
The Treasury has stated that its purpose in buying out Northern Rock was to stabilise the bank and also the rest of the financial sector, not to make a profit. However Mr Brown should not have misled the public by saying a sale would generate a profit. Oh to have an honest politician, we can but dream.
A new five year contract has been agreed between the Alliance and Leicester and Payzone, a 17,000 site network where consumers can pay water bills.
Estimated figures for the year are that around 6 million transactions will be processed by the Alliance and Leicester on behalf of Payzone, consumers using either a booklet or credit card style payment card. The relationship between the two companies began in 2007 so this five year deal shows the belief they have in each other now.
The commercial side of Alliance and Leicester works with around 1,500 businesses to collect payments from consumers, with most utility companies signed up as well as 8 out of 10 local authorities.