Aberdeen Asset Management has completed its transformation from industry leper to highly-rated growth stock as it unveiled higher-than-expected retention of funds, so far, from its acquisition of Deutsche Asset Management.

Scotland's key financial services companies have revealed a record level of confidence for future growth and recruitment in 2006, according to a new survey, revealing jobs and bonus potential.

Scottish Widows and Standard Life overtook long-time leader Artemis in January to head jointly the league of investment houses north of the border with the greatest number of top-performing managers of open-ended funds.

Scottish Financial Enterprise, the industry lobby group, last night claimed 2006 would be another successful year for the country's financial sector after 61% of its members said they expected business prospects to improve.

The Bank of Scotland has taken a 20% stake in Glasgow-based Mono Global, which provides management and support to the mobile telecoms industry.

Martin Currie saw an increase in both revenues and funds under management last year, as rising stock markets helped lift the investment house's fortunes.

First Minister Mr Jack McConnell today welcomed plans by Morgan Stanley to expand its operations in Scotland with the creation of up to 300 new high quality jobs.

Britannic Asset Management, the Glasgow-based business which next month will take the name of parent company Resolution, has reported an 18% rise in profits and a 39% rise in new third-party business to £248m after a successful year.

Aegon UK has created the position of head of business performance that it says 'reflects the new climate within the industry'.

Prudential is understood to have ruled out any move on Standard Life as the Edinburgh mutual prepares for its £5 billion stock-market flotation, believing that the UK market would not generate the returns to justify a big-money outlay.

Kenneth Barker, manager of the Baillie Gifford Corporate Bond and High Yield Bond funds, has returned to the top of The Herald's monthly table of the best-performing fund managers with Scottish investment houses.

April got off to a tremendous start with news that Morgan Stanley is expanding its operations in the International Financial Services District (IFSD) with the creation of up to 300 new high quality jobs.

Glasgow based Halal Financial Services is the European regional winner of the prestigious Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Islamic Finance Award.

Aberdeen Asset Management yesterday underlined its dramatic recovery from the split-cap trust saga by announcing a quadrupling of half-year profits in the first period to reflect the £265m acquisition of Deutsche Asset Management last year.

Scots have a worldwide reputation for being good with money, so it should come as no surprise that Scotland continues to be a thriving international centre of financial services.

Dunfermline Building Society opened its brand new branch on Saturday 1st April in the Almondvale Shopping Centre in Livingston, which will serve members and potential new members in the West Lothian area.

Edinburgh-based fund manager Martin Currie has reported its best quarter yet, adding £900m to funds to take the total above £12bn, and it is not expecting a market retreat.

AEGON UK’s underlying operating earnings for the first three months of 2006 were £44m, an increase of 33% on the same period 2005.

Scotland’s financial services industry has enjoyed a strong start to the year according to the latest quarterly survey from Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE) and Capgemini published today.

Aegon UK, the Edinburgh-based life and pensions owner of Scottish Equitable, yesterday confirmed it is entering the bulk annuity market in the fourth quarter this year with a 'low-key, low-profile' launch.

Progress made over the past 5 years, but still more to be done.....

Britannic Asset Management has changed its name to Resolution Asset Management – another landmark in the transformation of the Glasgow based organisation over the last few years.

Bright Grey, the Edinburgh-based niche protection insurer which is part of mutually-owned Royal London, is parting company with its chief executive David Robinson.

SVM Asset Management, the Edinburgh-based boutique which experienced a turnover of fund managers last year, has become one of the few companies to offer managers a share of fund revenues as an additional incentive.

The governor of the Bank of England signalled in Edinburgh on 12 June that it was in no hurry to raise UK interest rates - highlighting economic uncertainties and saying its monetary policy committee must be 'enlightened'.

HBOS, the UK's biggest mortgage provider, said it was on course to meet City expectations this year after finding the going easier in the key home loans market.

A strategic decision to invest in sophisticated administration systems and high quality personnel has secured Glasgow-based mutual Scottish Friendly a lucrative ‘back office’ deal.

Leading developer Wilson Bowden has unveiled plans for the latest phase of its ambitious development at Glasgow’s Atlantic Quay.

IFSD Glasgow has won a Highly Commended Award in the prestigious RICS Regeneration Awards.

Glasgow is being tipped as a good place to set up an insurance or reinsurance company in a bid to attract more financial services business to the city.

Clydesdale Bank's Edinburgh-based Financial Solutions Centre has recorded a 34 per cent year-on-year bottom-line growth and a 25 per cent rise in staff during the past year.

Inaugural Globalscot Conference, Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC), Edinburgh, 27th & 28th September.

Dunfermline Building Society, Scotland’s number one building Society, employs approximately 480 employees in a network of 34 branches and head office location.

Alastair Ward, 32, is Business Manager – Products at Dunfermline Building Society (DBS). He joined in 2004 as a product developer and was promoted to his current position last year.

Scotland is a leading centre for financial services in Europe, and is the second largest UK centre for finance after London.

The Ernst & Young partner who succeeded Eamonn Rice as head of the firm's financial services team in Scotland plans to recruit 40 more staff this year as he seeks to build on the mercurial Irishman's impressive legacy.

HBOS, the bank formed by the merger of Halifax with Bank of Scotland, last night confirmed it had paid down £800m of the £1.8bn deficit in its final salary pension schemes since December 2005.

Scots are accustomed to being criticised about the nation's allegedly statist mindset and risk-averse attitude to business, but a new survey suggests such barbs are grossly unfair.

Wilson Bowden has committed to building three more properties worth more than £100 million in the IFSD.

Scottish Widows has reported a 6.3% hike in first-half profits, compared with the same period last year, driven by a massive 64% increase in bancassurance sales.

Standard Life's first new business figures since its flotation sparked its shares yesterday as the insurer said it was 'very optimistic' for the rest of the year.

Financial services firm moneyQuest, one of the UK's leading telephone and online mortgage, insurance and loan brokers, has announced (03 August) major company moves - including a restructuring of its board and the company’s first globalisation plan.

Standard Life Investments posted its strongest quarter of sales since the business was launched in 1998.

Scottish Widows Investment Partnership has announced that it has boosted its bond market coverage after hiring former Aberdeen Asset Management man Rod Davidson to become its global head of fixed income.

Ratings agency Fitch issued an upbeat assessment of Royal Bank of Scotland, seeing potential for continued organic growth in all its businesses and declaring the Edinburgh-headquartered institution had 'very strong earnings capacity'.

Scottish Widows Bank, the telephone-based mortgage and deposits bank, has announced record financial performance for the first half of 2006, building further on the success of previous years.

Aegon UK has resolved the conflict between its parent identity and the Scottish Equitable brand by combining them.

Scottish Widows Investment Partnership has introduced its Islamic Global Equity Fund to the UK retail investment market.

Lloyds TSB’s most recent “Business in Britain” survey suggests that Scotland’s economy is outperforming the majority of the United Kingdom.

Critically assessing business response to the sustainable development agenda and the consequent financial implications for industry will be among the subjects explored at a summer school for academics at the University of St Andrews this week.

Standard Life Investments (SLI) has been ranked sixth in the latest influential survey of global fund managers based on net institutional assets accumulated outside the United States.