Hargreaves Lansdown (LON:HRGV), a top British investment platform, has been hit by a multimillion-pound lawsuit over the failure of fallen star manager Neil Woodford’s equity income fund, which left hundreds of thousands of investors nursing losses. The claims management firm RGL said it had filed the claim in the high court in London on behalf of an initial 3,200 investors caught up in the scandal against the London blue-chip company, which promoted the former flagship Woodford Equity Income Fund (WEIF). – Guardian
Hiring in the City of London has plunged almost by a third as economic turmoil spells the end of a dealmaking boom for banks and financial services companies, a leading recruiter has warned. Morgan McKinley, which specialises in hiring for financial services roles, found that the number of vacant City jobs in the third quarter fell by 31pc to 7,907 from the previous three months. – Telegraph
Company directors could be jailed for not taking appropriate measures to prevent fraud at their organisations under proposals expected to be set out this week. MPs are due to propose an amendment to the economic crime and transparency bill which would include corporate and director-level liability for ‘failure to prevent’ criminal activity. – The Times
Shares in Asos face more pressure today after the online fashion retailer confirmed that it was in talks with lenders over the terms of its £350 million borrowing facility. Asos said it was in the final stages of agreeing changes to the future financial covenants of its revolving credit facility, which matures in July 2024. The retailer said the changes would give it “increased financial flexibility, against the uncertain economic backdrop”. It added: “Asos retains a strong liquidity position and this is a prudent step in the current environment.” – The Times