LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Vintage champagne flowed atbank parties during the oil market's annual party season inLondon this week, but behind the smiles European banks arestruggling in oil and commodities. ...

Feb 23 (Reuters) - U.S. lenders made more auto loansin the most recent quarter, but took more risks and charged lessinterest to get the business, according to a report released onThursday by credit reporting ...

LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - For a club dripping insilverware, recent years have been harrowing for Liverpool onand off the pitch and Sunday's League Cup final against CardiffCity offers the Merseysiders ...

* BoE's Haldane says Britain lacks mid-sized banks * Lack of lending to SMEs key drag on economy * Households, firms still have to repair balance sheets (Adds details, background) LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) ...

Even for the Greek finance minister, Evangelos Venizelos, this week’s €130bn bail-out agreement was “great, painful and complicated”. They are about the only three words everyone involved in the debt crisis ...

* Credit Agricole makes record quarterly loss of 3.07 blneuros * RBS makes Q4 loss of nearly 2 bln pounds * Dexia says at risk after 2011 net loss of 11.6 bln euros LONDON/PARIS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Greece's ...

BANGKOK, Feb 23 (Reuters) - These are some of theleading stories in Thai newspapers on Thursday. Reuters has notverified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. BANGKOK POST - The Constitution ...

* Home sales up 4.3 percent to 1-1/2 year-high * Inventory of homes falls to 7-year low * Median home price lowest in 10 years (Adds home vacancy rate, fresh analyst quote) WASHINGTON, Feb 22 (Reuters) ...

The European Central Bank's blitz of measures to stave off a credit crunch and shore up EMU states are profoundly distorting debt markets and may ultimately do more harm than good.

Spain has appealed to Brussels for softer deficit-reduction targets, raising fears that Europe's rescue strategies are unworkable in the bigger eurozone economies and not just Greece.

The Serious Fraud Office is fighting to stop its case against the Tchenguiz brothers collapsing after admitting to a catalogue of mistakes in evidence used against the businessmen.

(Changes byline, dateline, headline, adds US info) * Specials in 5yr and 7yr notes could last to Feb 29 * More demand for 7yr notes in hedges, futures trades * Repo traders still divided on cause of 7yr ...

NEW YORK, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Some U.S. pawnbrokers aretaking liquid assets - literally. Fine wines are among the items they will accept ascollateral for loans, along with family jewels and fine art, asa ...

* Home sales up 4.3 percent to 1-1/2 year-high * Inventory of homes falls to 7-year low * Median home price declines 2 percent from year-ago (Adds details, background, new analyst comments) WASHINGTON, ...

* NAMA says Treasury Holdings "hopelessly insolvent" * Court case frustrating NAMA's ability to do its job * Treasury hoping to progress to main challenge DUBLIN, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Ireland's ...

* FTSEurofirst 300 index falls 0.8 percent * Greek index hard hit on growth worries * Peugeot jumps on GM alliance talks LONDON, Feb 22 (Reuters) - European shares fell onWednesday for the second consecutive ...

* Home sales up 4.3 pct to 1-1/2 year-high * Inventory of homes falls to 7-year low * Median home price declines 2 pct from yr-ago (Adds details, analyst comment) WASHINGTON, Feb 22 (Reuters) - U.S. home ...

(Adds dropped word "with" in first paragraph) * Citi, UBS provide crucial information in Libor probe -sources * Single trader may be at heart of alleged improprieties -sources * Probe expected ...

* Citi, UBS provide crucial information in Libor probe -sources * Single trader may be at heart of alleged improprieties -sources * Probe expected to move beyond yen-denominated trading -sources Feb 22 ...

* December payouts reach record 441 mln stg * FSA to release complaints data for banks next month (Adds details, Barclays complaints data) LONDON, Feb 22 (Reuters) - British lenders paid out arecord 441 ...

* FTSEurofirst 300 down 0.6 pct, Euro STOXX 50 down 0.6 pct * PSA Peugeot Citroen jumps 16 pct on GM tie-up talk * Red hot DAX triggers bullish 'golden cross' * As Dow touches 13,000, Euro STOXX 50 still ...

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LONDON, Feb 22 (Reuters) - British lenders paid out arecord 441 million pounds in compensation for insurancemis-selling in December, taking total payouts for 2011 to 1.9billion pounds ($3 billion) and ...

Businesses around the UK found credit conditions tightened last month and many reported weaker trading conditions

The first-time buyer proportion of the housing market has reached an eight-month high as people rush to make the most of a stamp duty holiday before it runs out, estate agents have said.

Ratings agency Fitch says Greek debt write-off will constitute a "rating default," as the country's main unions prepare to hold anti-austerity protests later today.

Ratings agency Fitch says Greek debt write-off will constitute a "rating default," as the country's main unions prepare to hold anti-austerity protests later today.

Financial Times WELLS FARGO TO BUY ENERGY LOAN PORTFOLIO Wells Fargo has agreed to buy an energy loanportfolio from BNP Paribas with a historical value of$11 billion. http://link.reuters.com/zyc76s BC ...

Eurozone leaders have put off the day of reckoning for a few more months but the latest €130bn rescue package for Greece offers no path out of the crisis and is hostage to explosive political passions....

The European Central Bank's lending of more than €800bn (£667bn) to eurozone banks has done little to stop them cutting back on lending to businesses, according to Standard & Poor's.

(Changes byline, dateline, headline, adds US info) NEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Strong demand in theovernight repurchase market for seven-year Treasury notes ascollateral in short-term cash loans has driven ...

* Treasury says "bad bank" in breach of fair procedures * Receivers for 35 properties, 900 mln euros in debts * Initial hearing to last four days DUBLIN, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Property developer ...

Huddersfield-based VTL Group sets out blueprint for engineering success in the UK