Royal Bank of Scotland is already in discussions with private equity firms about a possible investment in Ulster Bank, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Carlyle Group, the world’s second-largest manager of investment alternatives to stocks and bonds, said fourth-quarter profit more than tripled as the value of its fund holdings increased and the firm sold assets at a profit.

Fifty years ago JFK was shot in Dallas. The man assigned to protect the president’s wife, Jackie, tells Tim Teeman why he felt he failed in his duty.

The largest private equity firm in the world, the Carlyle Group, is looking for investment opportunities in Ireland, according to its founder and co-chief executive, William Conway.

Initial public offerings have fallen 34% this year, with many firms fearing a repeat of the social network’s flop debut, writes Lee Spears

Global food and dairy companies are making another round of big bets on China’s fast growing dairy sector, seeking to position themselves as safe alternatives after a lethal baby formula scandal burned the industry four years ago.

THE EBS Building Society has been taken off the market, with the Department of Finance deciding that the main offer on the table for the lender wasn’t sufficient.

IRISH banks could come under pressure to be more forgiving with mortgage holders in difficulty if a bid by a US billionaire for EBS is successful.

THE sale of the EBS is being viewed as an ongoing process as no real progress has been made this week despite reports that veteran American investor Wilbur Ross is to take control of the lender.

Britax Childcare, the maker of child car seats and pushchairs, is to be put up for sale in a move that could fetch £350m, reports said today.

EBS Building Society, the country’s biggest customer-owned lender, set an August 9 deadline for a second round of takeover bids, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation.

Global economic concerns hit stocks today and offset strong gains from blue chip retailers on London's leading share index.

A strong session for retailers after Home Retail Group raised its profits guidance failed to keep the London market in positive territory today.

BP shares slumped more than 4% today after the oil giant was punished for its failure to meet the City’s estimates on fourth quarter profits.

US buy-out firm Carlyle today confirmed it had approached UK waste management group Shanks with a potential takeover offer.

The London market searched for direction today as financial firms were out of favour amid reports of a windfall tax on banks.

AS RIVAL investors battle to inject billions into the six Irish-owned banks, significant uncertainty still surrounds their future.

Bank note printer De La Rue today raised £360m after agreeing to sell its cash counting division to private equity firm Carlyle.

US stocks tumbled today as the ailing credit market and a spike in home foreclosures intensified the market’s worries about a sagging economy. The Dow Jones industrials gave up 214 points.

The British taxpayer could have gained “tens of millions” more from the privatisation of UK defence research firm QinetiQ, the National Audit Office (NAO) said today.

Virgin Media gave potential bidders more time to put together their plans today after receiving “strong” interest in a possible deal for the firm.

Cable company Virgin Media today confirmed it had received a takeover offer for the business.

Bid speculation involving Virgin Media returned this weekend after it was reported the cable company could be about to get an $8 billion (€5.9bn) approach from a private equity firm.

INDEPENDENT News & Media’s proposed buy-out of its Australian subsidiary company APN will be partly financed by the Carlyle Group, the US private equity house.

British investors were focused on aerospace today as engineer Smiths bailed out of the sector and British Airways faced up to the prospect of industrial action.

The promise of a windfall for shareholders caused shares in industrial conglomerate Smiths to jump by more than 13% today.

MINER Anglo American has received bid approaches from at least two private-equity consortiums for its paper and packaging division Mondi, which it plans to list, the Sunday Times has reported.

The mystery party behind an approach for telecoms group Kingston Communications was today said to be an American buyout firm.

Car safety seats-to-pushchairs firm Britax Childcare broke free from its parent company today after being sold in a deal worth £230m (€339m).

Giant Italian industrial firm Fiat has sold a majority stake in its engineering division in a bid to further

Five staff members of an exclusive New York hotel have been fired due to complaints from Jack Nicholson and Nicole Kidman.

POLICE fired rubber bullets yesterday against hundreds of anti-war protesters blocking a road near Oakland’s port in California, witnesses and officials said.

The London market managed to close with its head above the 4000 mark today, despite receiving a blow from Wall Street during afternoon trading.

The FTSE 100 Index eased past the 4000 level today as weak trading took its toll on blue-chip shares.