Aegon UK, the Edinburgh-based life and pensions business, is thought to be in the sights of Clive Cowdery, who heads the Resolution acquisitions vehicle.

Eurozone interest rates have been held at 1% today for the tenth month in a row.

Interest rates were today held at 0.5% by the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), marking one year since they hit the record low.

Standard & Poor's is considering cutting its rating on Prudential over leverage concerns following its $35.5bn deal to buy AIG's Asian business.

Prudential has agreed to buy AIG's Asian business for $35.5bn, which will be partially funded by a $20bn rights issue.

The Conservative Party yesterday said it aims to complete a radical reform of financial services regulation in just five years.

The Government borrowed £4.3bn in January, the first time there has been a budget deficit in January since records began in 1993.

Scottish Life is to switch the underlying investment of its UK Equity Core Plus Pension fund to Cazenove UK Growth & Income.

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously to freeze quantitative easing earlier this month.

UK inflation has hit 3.5%, prompting Mervyn King to write a letter of explanation to the Chancellor.