ROYAL Bank of Scotland Group Plc's first-half profit are expected to rise in line with market expectations.

First Active is to reduce its fixed rate mortgages for new customers from today.

ULSTER BANK profits rose to €406 million last year, according to results from parent company Royal Bank of Scotland.

The Royal Bank of Scotland has announced it has made £7.15bn (€10.6bn) in core profits in the last year.

Four new non-executive directors have been appointed to the board of Ulster Bank.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBoS) has signed an agreement to acquire Prudential's 79% stake in the internet bank Egg, according to a report in the French daily newspaper Le Monde.

IRISH Life & Permanent could be the next Irish financial institution to become a takeover target, according to stockbrokers Dolmen.

BANK of Ireland is seen as a strong takeover play by a number of analysts during 2004.

The number of mergers and acquisitions involving Irish companies is set to rise again in 2004 after latest figures revealed a near three-fold increase at the end of 2003.

The fifth largest bank in the world, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBoS), said it was set to satisfy market expectations for year end results, to be announced in February 2004.

Canary Wharf Group said today it has agreed to sell two of its leasehold properties in London's Docklands for £1.112 bn (€1.59bn) in cash to units of The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBoS).

First Active's takeover by the Royal Bank of Scotland has been approved by the European Competition authority.

In Dublin the ISEQ index was up 28.14 points, or .60%, to 478.52 buoyed by gains from a mixture of sectors.

First Active shareholders have voted overwhelmingly in favour of Royal Bank of Scotland's €6.20 per share takeover bid.

First Active shareholders will get their say on the proposed takeover of the bank by Royal Bank of Scotland at an extraordinary general meeting on Thursday.

Building group CRH saw it share price rise 15c on Dublin trading today to €15.75 after more positive construction data from the United States.

ULSTER BANK chief executive Martin Wilson will step down from his position when its takeover of First Active is completed, making way for the former building society’s chief Cormac McCarthy.

Larry Broderick, general secretary of the Irish Bank Officials Association has said that although Irish banks are the most profitable in Europe, their employees still receive low salaries.

ROYAL Bank of Scotland Group, Britain’s second-largest bank, agreed to buy the Swiss private banking unit of HVB Group for 324.5 million, its second foreign acquisition move this week.

ROYAL Bank of Scotland expects its bid for First Active, announced Monday, to be completed by January 2004 if there are no hitches along the way.

THE bid by Royal Bank of Scotland of €6.20 per share for First Active has sparked one of the biggest bonanzas for investors in this country in a long time.

ROYAL Bank of Scotland played down the threat of job losses as a result of its takeover of First Active.

ROYAL Bank of Scotland (RBOS), the fifth largest bank in the world, and Britain’s second largest bank, is about to inject serious competition into the Irish mortgage market.

Leading shares remained firmer but off intraday highs in thin midday trading, tentatively clawing back some of yesterday's massive losses, although investors continued to tread warily in the wake of the apparent $4 bn (€4.06bn) fraud at WorldCom, dealers said.

Shares in AIB bank - whose value slumped earlier this month following confirmation of an €800m alleged fraud loss at an American subsidiary - soared in price on the stock exchange today following renewed takeover speculation.

London shares ended a six-session run of successive losses when it closed up today boosted by a recovery in telecom stocks, strength in oils - led by an update from Shell - and gains in the heavyweight banking sector after Royal Bank of Scotland issued an upbeat trading statement, dealers said.