BT Share News (BT.A)

Royal Bank of Scotland is in talks with US buyout firm Warburg Pincus about a rescue plan for the lender's troubled Ulster Bank Irish business, the Sunday Times reported. The plan would involve private equity firms injecting capital into Ulster Bank and then merging it with another bank, probably Ireland's Permanent TSB. Other private equity firms are said to be examining the proposed deal, including CVC, KKR and Permira. RBS's bosses came up with the plan to resolve the business's troubles after it lost £2.5bn in two years. Fixing Ulster Bank could add up to 30p to state-controlled RBS's share price, advisers to George Osborne have said.British Land and Hammerson are competing to buy a 30% stake in the Bluewater shopping complex, the Sunday Times reported. British Land is working on a bid with Norway's Norges Bank for the £600m stake, currently owned by Australia's Lend Lease. Both British Land and Hammerson are keen to secure a slice of one of Britain's most popular shopping centres. Land Securities has already made an offer but it is not clear if the company is still involved. Ofcom, the communications regulator, is set to judge whether BT's dominance of superfast broadband is anticompetitive, the Sunday Telegraph reported. If Ofcom found against BT, the company could soon afterwards be forced to raise its retail price, cut wholesale costs for rivals BSkyB and TalkTalk or accept a combination of both. The decision will rest on what Ofcom thinks of BT's strategy of giving BT Sport away with home broadband subscriptions.Markets are betting that interest rates could rise as soon as October after Bank of England Governor Mark Carney shifted his position last week, the Sunday Times said. Speculation is growing that the minutes from the BoE's June 5th ratesetting meeting could show some policymakers breaking ranks and voting for an increase in borrowing costs. Carney surprised the City by saying the first increase could come "sooner than markets currently expect". Economists said households should prepare for a rise of one percentage point by the end of next year.SSP, the fast food company, is planning a £2bn summer flotation, the Sunday Telegraph reported. The company, whose brands include Upper Crust and Caffe Ritazza, is expected to announce details formally in the coming week. Private equity owner EQT wants to sell about 25% of the business to raise between £450m and £500m. The deal will mark a quick return to the stock market for Chief Executive Kate Swann, who left WH Smith last year.Marks & Spencer is planning an overhaul of the benefits it provides to its retail investors, the Sunday Telegraph said. Small shareholders with holdings of £1,000 or more can get discounts at entertainment group Merlin as well as offers on shopping at M&S. Its annual report said M&S was looking at revamping the benefits after calls for more discounts. The review is unlikely to complete before the end of this year. A spokesperson for M&S told the paper the review was a regular occurrence.Premier Gold Resources is threatening to sue the Kyrgyzstan government for $35m over security problems that prevent the AIM-listed company from developing a mine, according to the Sunday Times. Lawyers for Premier Gold claim Kyrgyzstan has breached a 1994 treaty giving full protection to UK companies operating there. They have told the government to resolve the problem within three months. Premier has told the government development of the mine has been impossible since locals invaded the site and threatened workers and equipment.BT's pension deficit is set to increase after a three-yearly review of its financial health, the Sunday Times said. The audit is likely to find a 50% jump in the deficit to about £6bn. The increase could force BT to raise its contributions to the scheme and reduce its financial clout in competing for sports rights with BSkyB. The Sunday Times is owned by Murdoch's News Corp while BSkyB is controlled by Murdoch's 21st Century Fox.Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox could make more than €8.5bn from BSkyB's plans to buy its sister companies in Germany and Italy, the Sunday Times said. Sky has hired Morgan Stanley and Barclays to advise on the deal. Fox controls all three businesses and combining them would create one of Europe's biggest and most profitable TV companies.Alastair Miller, the former finance director of fashion chain New Look, is one of the candidates to take on the same job at Debenhams, the Sunday Times reported. Miller is a contender to replace Simon Herrick, who resigned from Debenhams after poor Christmas trading and the revelation that he had charged suppliers a fee. In a trading update on June 20th, Debenhams is expected to report a small improvement in like-for-like sales and could reveal plans to stock more brands, including those owned by Sports Direct.Oil prices sent up by unrest in Iraq have put further pressure on airlines after a profit warning from Lufthansa of Germany, the Sunday Times said. Brent crude jumped to $114.69 on June 13th, its highest price since September 2013. Shares of British Airways' parent International Airlines Group, easyJet and Thomas Cook all fell heavily last week.B&M, the discount chain that floated last week at £2.7bn, has paid more than £50m to City advisers in the course of its stock market listing, the Sunday Times reported. The sums, which paid for investment banking services and fees for repaying old loans, were disclosed in the float prospectus alongside the fact that B&M pays 68% of its staff the minimum wage. UKFast has turned down a £200m takeover attempt, its founder told the Sunday Telegraph. Lawrence Jones told the paper he would have been "daft" to accept last month's offer for the company, which has been a target for private equity firms. He rules out an imminent flotation despite being tempted by the demand for shares of AO World.SF