Two multinational financial giants have snubbed an official request to appear before the Dáil’s spending watchdog to answer questions over corporate tax loopholes.

The Public Accounts Committee has formally written to Google, Apple and other major multinational firms based here ordering them to answer questions on the tax loopholes they target in this country.

Six multinationals including Apple and Google are set to be hauled before the Dáil’s financial watchdog next year to explain the amount of tax they pay in Ireland amid concerns about loopholes in the system.

AIB has brought legal proceedings against a number of insurers after they declined to cover the bank for losses arising out of $700m (€596m) fraud by rogue trader John Rusnak, writes Ann O'Loughlin.

Legal marijuana could be the first billion-dollar industry not dominated by men, writes Gogo Lidz.

Citibank North America has hit back against AIB in a costly 13-year legal marathon in New York over who was to blame for the losses of rogue trader John Rusnak.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has confirmed that the estimated tax paid by companies operating out of the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), in Dublin, totalled over €950 million in 2013.

Pre-tax profits at the main Irish arm of Citibank last year declined by 8% to $757.68m (€686.5m).

Oil giant BP faces being drawn into the foreign exchange (forex) rigging scandal after it emerged that it has been investigating whether its traders were linked to the manipulation of the £3 trillion-a-day market.

Five of the world’s biggest banks are to pay fines totalling £2bn after regulators today lifted the lid on the latest scandal to rock the industry.

Pre-tax profits at the main Irish arm of Citibank declined by 15% to $823.1m (€593.2m) last year.

Bank of Ireland has raised €750m through a five-year senior unsecured bond at a yield of 3.337%, which compares very favourably to other eurozone banks of a similar profile.

Ray Kinsella - Bailout exit will not bring fiscal sovereignty

Barclays is the worst bank for honesty and customer service, according to a UK ethical scorecard launched today to guide those looking to switch their current accounts.

America’s biggest bank has been ordered to take steps to correct poor risk management that led to a surprise trading loss last year of more than six billion dollars (€4.4bn).

ELIZABETH Warren won back for the Democrats the historic Kennedy seat in Massachusetts, and so there’s finally someone in the US Senate who understands family values.

Several banks under investigation for suspected rigging of euro interest rates are co-operating with EU anti-trust regulators in the hope of lower fines, according to two sources.

A US soldier has been caught trying to defraud one of the world’s richest men.

The Irish Stock Exchange (ISE) has admitted the first ever Global Depositary Note (GDN) to a European exchange market.

Personal insolvency rates will soar when the Insolvency Bill is passed and Ireland will slip back into recession, according to research by Citibank.

Lehman Brothers Holdings is suing several units of Citigroup to recover $2.5bn (€1.88bn) it transferred to a back-up account at Citi months before seeking bankruptcy court protection.

I NOTICE that Minister Michael Noonan is now proposing to sell those 7,000 splendid electronic voting machines to Irish pubs around the world.

Dozens of people have been arrested in the United States after after a day of protests in cities around the world where tens of thousands gathered to rally against what they see as corporate greed.

More than 80 people were arrested in New York in the latest demonstrations against corporate greed which sparked global protests.

THE countdown has begun. It is a matter of when, not if, the Greek government and creditors will have to reconcile a 50% default on their sovereign debt.

As the former Citibank head once declared, countries don’t go bust

The High Court is expected to decide today whether AIB is obliged to meet an interest payment on junior bonds that are the subject of a legal challenge.

Insurance giant Aviva today announced that former Australian banking boss John McFarlane will become its chairman from next June.

GOOGLE, Facebook, Microsoft, Intel and Citibank are some of the US firms being courted for a showcase to mark the visit of US President Barack Obama next month.

THE outlook for CRH contains a lot of uncertainty. With operations in 35 countries and something like 3,700 locations uncertainty has to be factored into any assessment.

SHARES of Apple traded at over $330 (€247) per share yesterday bringing the company’s total market capitalisation value to more than $300 billion (€225bn).

THERE was mixed news for banking in the North yesterday with Bank of Ireland announcing it is to relocate a number of positions out of Belfast while Citibank is to create 500 jobs in a new investment.

TOMORROW in Semple Stadium, Robbie Costigan finds himself leading the Tipperary football fight from the back.

A WOMAN bank worker is claiming she was fired from finance giant Citibank for dressing too provocatively.

A woman bank worker is claiming she was fired from finance giant Citibank for dressing too provocatively.

THE arbitrary remuneration limit of €500,000 on the top job at AIB will make it very difficult for the group to attract somebody from outside the bank, according to Oliver Gilvarry, head of research at Dolmen Securities.

AS much as 64% of the €464 million set aside by the Irish Nationwide Building Society (INBS) to cover unpaid loans last year related to lending in the Irish commercial property sector.

ALL governments should appoint a Minister for Thinking, the world’s leading authority on creative thinking suggested yesterday.

A bomb exploded outside a Citibank branch in Athens, Greece, causing damage but no injuries.

THE election of a new US president will not have a devastating effect on foreign investment into Ireland, two leading US business figures have said.

UCD Business Schools are hosting a breakfast seminar entitled, FDI: What’s the forecast?

THE ISEQ index enjoyed a good end to the week by closing up 220.68 at 4,894.47 as the banking sector had another positive day with US bank Citibank posting much better results than originally anticipated.