Scottish Business Briefing - Thursday 14 April, 2011

Published on Thursday 14 April 2011 09:51

WELCOME to scotsman.com's Scottish Business Briefing. Every morning we bring you a comprehensive round-up of all news affecting business in Scotland today.

BANKING & INSURANCE

NAB in talks over joint bid for hundreds of Lloyds branches

CLYDESDALE Bank's Australian owner is understood to be seriously considering a joint bid for hundreds of Lloyds Banking Group branches in a move that could pave the way for an eventual exit from the UK market (Scotsman).

Read all today's banking news from scotsman.com

ECONOMY

Rising tally of Scots firms in trouble passes 12,000

MORE than 12,000 Scottish businesses are in a state of financial "distress", with the number rising even faster than the UK average, according to a report (Scotsman).

Confidence still falling as costs keep climbing

FIRMS in Scotland fear that rising transport, energy and raw material costs could derail the fragile economic recovery, the latest quarterly survey from the Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) shows today (Scotsman).

Read all today's economics news from scotsman.com

ENERGY & UTILITIES

EnCore optimistic over Cladhan find

ENCORE Oil, a North Sea- focused oil and gas firm, said it had found more oil at the Cladhan discovery east of Shetland. The listed independent told investors that a well to appraise Cladhan confirmed the existence of a hydrocarbon column that extended for over 1200ft (Herald).

'Market still tough' but Tulloch keeps roof over its head as losses narrow

HOUSEBUILDER Tulloch Homes narrowed its losses last year as it expanded its range of incentive packages to boost sales. The Inverness-based firm, which is 40 per cent owned by its lender Lloyds Banking Group, yesterday reported a pre-tax loss of 9.1 million for 2010, compared with a 13.7m loss the previous year (Scotsman).

Read all today's energy and utilities news from scotsman.com

MEDIA & LEISURE

Scotland tops UK league for staycations

SCOTLAND weathered a turbulent time for the tourism market last year, boosted by a major success in capturing the UK's "staycation" market (Scotsman).

Read all today's media and leisure news from scotsman.com