Does Scotland get a Raw Deal on Debt Refinancing?
Wednesday 23 November 2022Over recent years Arlingclose has worked with many authorities on debt refinancing transactions, often involving a premature repayment premium, but resulting in beneficial savings and risk reduction. However, we’ve seen limited activity in Scotland due to the different rules on accounting for premiums.
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Service Concession Flexibility
Tuesday 22 November 2022The Scottish Government has introduced flexible accounting arrangements for local authorities that are the grantor in service concession arrangements, including private finance initiative and similar schemes.
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Pre-paying Debt to the PWLB
Thursday 10 November 2022Pre-paying debt to the PWLB could lead to savings, if done correctly
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FCA Proposes Rules for Sustainable Funds to Tackle Greenwashing
Wednesday 09 November 2022The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a consultation on proposed measures to clamp down on “greenwashing” of investment funds and products.
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The Bankruptcy of Detroit: Part 3
Tuesday 08 November 2022In the final part of our series we ask why it almost certainly wouldn't happen here?
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The Bankruptcy of Detroit: Part 2
Tuesday 01 November 2022In the second of a three part series we ask how can a whole city go bankrupt?
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The Bankruptcy of Detroit: Part 1
Tuesday 25 October 2022Put Your Hands Up for Detroit. In the first of a three part series we look at the USA’s largest ever municipal bankruptcy.
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PWLB Certainty Rate Has Changed a Lot
Thursday 13 October 2022PWLB Rates have increased, but the scale and speed of the increase has shocked most borrowers
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The Customer is Always Right
Tuesday 27 September 2022The Government’s customer when it comes to financing is the capital markets. We’re currently witnessing a rather significant rerating of the customer’s expectations with regard to the price of the product on offer.
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A Change in Policy
Wednesday 21 September 2022Are rate hikes necessary to tame inflation or are monetary policymakers getting carried away?
Read moreCracking the Code(s of Practice)
Tuesday 20 September 2022Local Authorities will soon be updating their strategy documentation which will need to reflect changes in the CIPFA Prudential and TM Codes
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How Do ESG Strategies Differ?
Tuesday 13 September 2022ESG investment policies, strategies and approaches aren’t one-size-fits-all.
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Funding in a Volatile Market – A Case Study and 10 Top Tips
Tuesday 13 September 2022How do successful treasury managers navigate current rate volatility and mitigate rising interest costs? In this insight we set out how we have helped one of our London Borough clients achieve a low-cost debt portfolio.
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Multi-Asset Investing and Inflation
Thursday 08 September 2022The ability of multi-asset funds to actively invest across asset classes may offer some help by the fund manager being able to seek out and, hopefully, take advantage of opportunities where those assets can provide a degree of protection and therefore take less of a hit to those all-important returns.
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Big Brother is Watching You
Wednesday 07 September 2022The PWLB is here to stay but the scrutiny it now places on applications for funding has increased. Failure to comply will trigger a number of sanctions which are costly and best avoided.
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How long will gilt shocks continue?
Tuesday 06 September 2022Is credibility in gilt markets eroding?
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Placing your Truss in the Bank of England
Tuesday 06 September 2022Economic Policies under Truss
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Are Banks Prepared for Climate Change?
Tuesday 23 August 2022The Bank of England tested the UK’s largest banks and insurers on how prepared they are for financial risks caused by climate change.
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Local Authority Creditworthiness
Monday 15 August 2022Why carry out analysis on local authorities, is it worth the time and effort?
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The Glorious 31st
Thursday 11 August 2022If you want to understand your local authority’s financial position which bits of the accounts should you focus on?
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Derive Some Benefits
Thursday 11 August 2022Derivatives don’t appear in many local authority portfolios. Used properly, they are excellent risk management tools, but they can be unfamiliar and a little more complicated. Nonetheless, some local authorities are taking advantage of derivatives indirectly through investments in certain pooled funds.
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A Guarantee of Success?
Tuesday 09 August 2022Some authorities have looked at ways of undertaking planned projects whilst complying with the new rules, and one way of doing this is by obtaining third party loans for their subsidiaries, rather than lending the companies the money themselves.
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Taxing Borrowing?
Thursday 28 July 2022They say everything comes back into fashion and this seems to be the case in terms of the control of local authority capital spend.
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A Roundup of Public Finance Live 2022
Friday 15 July 2022After a long two years of few ‘in real life’ meetings, the Arlingclose team were keen to get in front of clients and non-clients alike, at Public Finance Live 2022.
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Political Turmoil, Relief and Gilt Yields
Tuesday 12 July 2022Political Turmoil, Relief and Gilt Yields
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FCA moves to widen regulatory remit to ESG Data and Rating Providers
Monday 11 July 2022FCA moves to widen regulatory remit to ESG Data and Rating Providers
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The penny drops, but will it be sustained?
Tuesday 05 July 2022The penny drops, but will it be sustained?
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Interest Rate Uncertainty and the MPC’s New Member
Friday 01 July 2022Interest Rate Uncertainty and the MPC’s New Member
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Regulators Get Tough on Greenwashing
Thursday 30 June 2022Regulators are stepping up their scrutiny over sustainability claims.
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Arlingclose advises on LOBO refinancing for Braintree District Council
Tuesday 21 June 2022Braintree District Council (BDC) has recently completed prepayment of its LOBO loans. The existing debt, running at an average interest rate of 4.7% over 40 years, was replaced using a combination of new funding and existing cash resources.
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Can we bank on the banks? Part 3.
Tuesday 21 June 2022Earlier this month the Bank of England published its first resolvability assessment of major UK banks. The report is part of its Resolvability Assessment Framework which the Bank, as the resolution authority, undertakes to evaluate whether banks can fail in an orderly way.
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Minimum Revenue Provision on Capital Loans
Monday 20 June 2022DLUHC has issued an interim response to its November consultation on MRP.
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What are Credit Default Swaps?
Monday 13 June 2022Analysing and assessing the financial strength of an institution, be it a bank, a corporate or a sovereign, requires more than just relying on credit ratings. For some time now Credit Default Swaps (CDS) have been used as an additional indicator of risk alongside other measures.
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Arlingclose advises on £73m medium term loan facilities for Optivo Housing Association
Monday 30 May 2022Arlingclose is delighted to have arranged a £73m revolving credit facility for the London-based housing association Optivo, funded by UK local authorities.
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Green Bonds and Sustainability-Linked Bonds – What’s the Distinction?
Friday 27 May 2022Whether the bond is issued as ‘green’ or ‘sustainability-linked’, the servicing of debt, both coupon payment and principal repayment, remains the responsibility of the issuing entity and thorough credit analysis should not be overlooked.
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Local Authority Counterparty Risk
Friday 20 May 2022The last couple of weeks have been a reminder that, when looking at counterparty and credit risk, the UK’s 500 local authorities are not all the same.
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Potential MMF Regulatory Reform – where are we now?
Monday 16 May 2022A regulatory review is due and we noted last year that further rule changes could be on the horizon, driven by the market stresses experienced in March 2020 with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Great (Capital Market) Expectations
Tuesday 03 May 2022Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns, or so goes the ubiquitous statement on much investment-related material. Despite this, past performance is often (always?) used by many investors as at least a general guide to what the future may bring.
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The only way is up?
Friday 22 April 2022There is no doubt about it, bond yields are under significant pressure. They have relentlessly marched higher, driven by both inflation and monetary policy concerns. So, what has changed? The inflation outlook has been known for some time, so why are yields continuing to price in ever higher premiums?
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iDealTrade - Trading on your Terms
Thursday 07 April 2022One of the key advantages of iDealTrade is that it allows you to be a market maker when you have specific requirements for your funding. A District Council's recent success highlights this.
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Fix Now, Loan Later
Wednesday 06 April 2022Notable savings have been achieved through forward starting loans with private lenders
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MRP – Is it time to review what you do?
Monday 14 March 2022The recent consultation to changes in the Minimum Revenue Provision regime in England has now closed and has prompted criticism of some of the more extreme approaches taken by local authorities in terms of MRP policy.
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Cryptocurrency Due Diligence
Wednesday 09 March 2022The cryptocurrency market is now hard to ignore. Cryptoassets like Bitcoin have been growing in popularity in the last decade, becoming increasingly mainstream.
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There’s Still a Pandemic and it’s Financial Year End Again…
Monday 31 January 2022Arlingclose is able to provide assistance in the preparation of year end accounts.
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Back to the Old School
Monday 24 January 2022At Arlingclose we are constantly striving to bring added value services to our clients and to do them as efficiently and effectively as possible.
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What is an LEI Number?
Wednesday 19 January 2022An LEI number is a ‘Legal Entity Identifier’ that has been required since 3rd January 2018 for any legal entities (excluding individuals) that buy or sell exchanged traded financial instruments.
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The ESG ratings challenge
Wednesday 22 December 2021What should investors relying on ESG ratings or data and wishing to better understand the inherent long-term risks and opportunities in their investments bear in mind?
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LOBOs: The Secrets of Successful Refinancing
Monday 13 December 2021The past few years have seen a resurgence in debt refinancing as authorities look for ways to make savings and run a more efficient debt portfolio in line with their projected borrowing requirement
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A Local Taxation Tale of Two Cities
Friday 10 December 2021If you want more localism you have to pay for it
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QE goes green
Thursday 09 December 2021The Bank of England is ‘greening’ its corporate bond purchases to support the transition to net zero
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Arlingclose advise on £65m LOBO refinancing for Liverpool City Council
Wednesday 01 December 2021Liverpool City Council (LCC) has successfully arranged the refinancing of £65m of Lender’s Option Borrower’s Option (LOBO) debt.
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Can it Pay to be Passive?
Friday 26 November 2021The debate about whether, on average, active managers offer value for money in terms of generating outperformance, or ‘alpha’, continues and most definitely shows no signs of stopping.
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Arlingclose advise Suffolk County Council on LOBO Refinancing
Tuesday 23 November 2021As Suffolk County Council closes the deal on their LOBO refinancing, David Blake examines the advantages of these transactions.
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Setting rates in the 'local to local' lending market
Tuesday 16 November 2021In this note we explore price transparency, supply and demand dynamics and the benefits of screen-based trading.
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Carbon and Climate Statement
Thursday 11 November 2021As COP26 comes to an end in Glasgow we hope progress will be made in the fight against climate change. At this point Arlingclose is pleased to announce that we have in our own way made a transition to net zero.
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Prudential Code Discussion with Room151
Thursday 28 October 2021Mark Swallow and David Green, Directors at Arlingclose, contribute to an informative panel debate with room151 on the draft prudential code, featuring Richard Lloyd Bithell, Senior Technical Manager at CIPFA, Martin Easton, co-auther of the draft code and Luke Webster, chair of CIPFA’s Treasury Management panel.
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Financial Investments - a case of mistaken identity?
Wednesday 27 October 2021David Blake, director at Arlingclose, writes for room151 on the draft prudential code. Financial Investments get a rough ride in the draft Prudential Code, which appears to suggest local authorities should target zero cash balances, here he sets out why strategic investment should retain their place as part of prudent treasury management strategy.
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COP26 - Cutting through the thicket of terms and acronyms
Wednesday 27 October 2021Postponed from last year, COP26 under the UK’s presidency will commence in Glasgow on 1st November 2021 with a world leaders’ summit and end on 12th November.
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The Liability Benchmark
Thursday 21 October 2021One of the key changes to the Treasury Management Code will be the requirement for local authorities to prepare a Liability Benchmark, something we at Arlingclose have been preparing for our clients for over a decade.
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Proportionality is hardly new...
Thursday 14 October 2021CIPFA’s new Prudential Code will include proportionality as a key objective for the first time. But for treasury managers, proportionality has always been a key principle for their roles.
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Borrowing Strategy takes Centre Stage in Code Updates
Tuesday 05 October 2021With summer drawing to a close, minds turn toward the remaining months of 2021 and what lies ahead. Some may already be thinking of December’s festivities, but it will also be a month of particular interest to local authority treasurers, as it’s expected to bring the publication by CIPFA of revisions to the Prudential Code for Capital Finance and the Treasury Management Code of Practice.
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The UK’s Inaugural Green Gilt Issue
Friday 24 September 2021The UK government issued the first "Green Gilt" this week, a step in the right direction to achieve net zero by 2050.
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Why the Government’s Covid Debt Burden is Not Actually that Bad
Friday 17 September 2021Other than the obvious worry of death and disease one of the main things concerning everyone throughout the pandemic has been the effect on the economy.
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Demystifying the CFR
Thursday 16 September 2021Join Stephen Kitching as he discusses the CFR.
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Beware the Perils of Greenwashing
Wednesday 01 September 2021Greenwashing is a compound word coined from ‘green sheen’ and ‘white washing’ describing the making of unsubstantiated or misleading claims about environmental benefits.
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Revised HM Treasury PWLB Guidance
Tuesday 24 August 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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PFI Projects & LIBOR Transition
Tuesday 10 August 2021With the replacement of LIBOR rapidly approaching, David Blake examines how this may affect Private Finance Initiatives which reference the benchmark.
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Liability Benchmark Explained
Tuesday 10 August 2021Join Laura Fallon as she explains the ins and outs of liability benchmarks.
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The Five Case Model - A Template for Local Authorities' Project Business Cases?
Thursday 05 August 2021The G20 Five Case Model impact on Public Sector project decision making
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KYLAC: Know Your Local Authority Counterparty
Tuesday 03 August 2021While a section 114 notice is a clear indication of financial distress, the existence of this procedure underlines the strength of the local government financial framework.
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Prudential Code Consultation Update
Thursday 29 July 2021Join David Green and Stephen Kitching as they discuss the latest updates from the CIPFA Prudential Code Consultation.
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All about that base?
Thursday 29 July 2021Average earnings growth is soaring – but needs to be interpreted with caution.
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Providing Affordable Housing with Income Strip Solutions
Thursday 22 July 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Can’t Get the Staff
Wednesday 21 July 2021One of the fears at the beginning of the pandemic was that of mass unemployment as businesses across the country were forced to close their doors. Now as the economy reopens all we are hearing is a clamour from businesses saying that they can’t find enough staff. What has caused this about-turn in circumstances?
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Can we bank on the banks? Part 2.
Monday 19 July 2021Following being hit with a £91m fine, Lloyds Bank has helped bring how banks treat their customers into the credit mix.
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Technology in Treasury with ICD
Friday 16 July 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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IFRS 16 Transition - Lessons from the Private Sector
Friday 09 July 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Managing Credit Risk
Wednesday 07 July 2021The huge shocks to financial markets over the last year have highlighted the importance of a robust credit analysis process and can create a good opportunity to consider how these processes can be improved.
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Local Authorities and ESG – a Match Made in Heaven?
Monday 05 July 2021Government borrowing statistics for March 2021 showed that local authorities have lent over £14bn to their peers, raising an interesting question, how “ESG” is a local authority?
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Investing in the Local Economy with 31ten Consulting
Friday 02 July 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Parish Councils: Borrowing for Capital Purposes
Friday 02 July 2021For more information on parish and town council borrowing advice, please contact the Arlingclose team.
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The UK Infrastructure Bank
Monday 28 June 2021The UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB), headquartered in Leeds, opened to UK businesses this month.
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The Current Credit Environment
Friday 25 June 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury webcast series
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Income Strips Explained
Thursday 10 June 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series with M&G
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Parish Councils: Long-term Investing
Wednesday 09 June 2021Find out how Arlingclose can assist Parish and Town Councils with investment advice.
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Welsh Local Authorities to Get the General Power of Competence
Thursday 03 June 2021So, what exactly is the general power of competence and what will it mean for these local authorities?
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ESG in Fund Management with Vanguard
Wednesday 02 June 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Market Monetary Policy Jitters
Wednesday 02 June 2021There’s no doubt about it, there’s a jittery mood in financial markets, causing flip flopping behaviour in equities, bonds, commodities and even Bitcoin.
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Sustainability-Linked Bonds
Tuesday 25 May 2021A German bank shows the way. The innovative deal has set a high bar for meaningful ESG targets and approaches to sustainability.
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More MMF rule changes on the way?
Tuesday 25 May 2021Regulators are looking to update MMF rules once again.
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Reviewing the Subsidy Regime Consultation
Friday 21 May 2021A second chance to listen to this recent instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Boosting the Local Area: Managing Investments in Borough
Thursday 20 May 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Parish Councils: are your deposits protected?
Monday 17 May 2021For more information on how to protect your investment portfolio, please contact the Arlingclose team.
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Our Interest Rate Forecast Explained
Thursday 13 May 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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PWLB Alternatives Webcast
Friday 30 April 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Which REITs should Local Authorities Invest in?
Thursday 29 April 2021How Local Authorities Should be Investing in REITs
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To Benchmark, Or Not To Benchmark?
Monday 26 April 2021How should you assess the relative performance of your investment portfolio?
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The Different Types of Money Market Funds
Friday 23 April 2021LVNAV, VNAV, CNAV? A refresher of the differences
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Year-End Local Authority Borrowing
Monday 19 April 2021March is traditionally a bumper month for local authority borrowing, as cash runs out and spending increases during the last quarter. The pandemic and the changes to the PWLB margins prompted a very different March 2021.
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Registered Provider & Local Authority Credit with Fitch Ratings Webcast
Friday 16 April 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Liability Benchmarking
Friday 16 April 2021Over the last two years Arlingclose has been able to put together all of the liability benchmarks for our clients.
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The National Infrastructure Bank
Friday 09 April 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Our Response to the Prudential Code Consultation Webcast
Tuesday 06 April 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation (SFDR)
Wednesday 31 March 2021SFDR - a key pillar of the European Union's ESG initiatives and yet another acronym inhabiting this space
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The Outlook for Commercial Property Webcast
Monday 29 March 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Support Underpins Local Authority Credit Quality
Monday 29 March 2021Recent “capitalisation directions” provide further evidence of central government support for local authorities.
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Capitalisation Direction
Tuesday 23 March 2021The recent news on the capitalisation direction issued to Nottingham City Council brings the tally of directions granted to local authorities at just under £150million with more set to be announced over the coming weeks.
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Green Bonds & ESG Borrowing Webcast
Monday 22 March 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Greensill Bank Collapse
Monday 22 March 2021A cautionary tale for local authorities as German local authorities may face significant investment losses
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LOBO Judgement Calls
Tuesday 16 March 2021A couple of weeks ago another chapter of the long-running LOBO saga seemingly came to an end.
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Investing in Housing Associations Webcast
Friday 12 March 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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What are the Alternatives?
Friday 12 March 2021The range of so-called ‘alternative’ asset classes is wide, from funds using diverse strategies outside of the more traditional approaches along style, size, or geographical lines, to investing in art or wine, or using private equity and hedge funds.
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Impact of the UK Budget 2021 Webcast
Monday 08 March 2021A second chance to listen to the last instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Scratching Your Head Over Year End?
Monday 01 March 2021Find out how Arlingclose can assist you at this financial year end
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Housing Revenue Account
Friday 26 February 2021Everything comes back into fashion - The re-emergence of the HRA
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Multi Asset Investing Webcast
Thursday 25 February 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Prudential Code Consultation
Friday 19 February 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury webcast series
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Counterparty Due Diligence
Friday 19 February 2021This insight highlights the importance of performing detailed due diligence and also takes a look at what is happening with State Aid now that the UK has formally withdrawn from the EU
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Goals for the World
Tuesday 16 February 2021What are the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and why are investors thinking about them?
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Local Authority Credit Webcast
Monday 15 February 2021A second chance to listen to this instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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How to predict Bank Rate
Friday 12 February 2021Using market forward curves isn't a substitute for a good forecast
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Revision to the Prudential Code – A method of Capital Control?
Monday 08 February 2021Last week CIPFA published consultation on its latest proposed changes which would see the sixth amendment since the introduction of the Code back in 2004
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Future for Money Market Funds Webcast
Thursday 04 February 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Accounts Closedown Themes for 2021 Webcast
Thursday 21 January 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Investment Benchmarking
Thursday 21 January 2021Take a deeper look into our quarterly investment benchmarking.
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What Chance Inflation?
Wednesday 20 January 2021Global inflation expectations have risen since the turn of the year, driven by a culmination of factors, on both the demand and supply sides.
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Britain and Europe 2021 Webcast
Monday 18 January 2021A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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An Independent Review of the Local Government Finance Settlement
Friday 15 January 2021The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) were hard at work in the run to Christmas and published an independent assessment of the latest Local Government Finance Settlement in England on 21st December.
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2021 Preview Webcast
Monday 11 January 2021A second chance to listen to the latest instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Free Revenue Saving Assessment!
Tuesday 05 January 2021On the hunt for revenue savings? Over the past few months Arlingclose has worked with several authorities, helping them unlock multi-million-pound savings.
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Stewardship – Investors Can Set the Course
Tuesday 05 January 2021Stewardship is a powerful tool investors have at their disposal to encourage the listed entities they are invested in to develop more sustainable business practices and deliver substantial real change which also benefits stakeholders and wider society.
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PWLB Guidance: Navigating the New Rules
Tuesday 05 January 2021Following the introduction of HM Treasury’s PWLB Guidance, incorporating restrictions on access and a revised process, borrowing from the PWLB may now be more complicated. Arlingclose provide an overview of some of the key considerations.
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Ways to Help Alleviate Your Covid-19 Budgetary Woes
Monday 04 January 2021This article suggests some of the less painful steps local authorities can take towards closing the budget gap.
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Greenwashing - do your investments have brown undertones?
Friday 18 December 2020Your investments may seem to tick all the right ESG boxes, but have you fallen into the trap of "greenwashing"?
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Stressed about Climate Change?
Tuesday 15 December 2020Next year the Bank of England will become the first central bank to carry out detailed climate stress testing
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PWLB Consultation Outcome Webcast
Wednesday 09 December 2020A second chance to listen to this week's instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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6 reasons why Electronic Trading is here to stay
Monday 07 December 2020Electronic trading has been around for many years it has grown in popularity during a year that has been gripped by a pandemic.
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PWLB Policy - Finding Strength in Adversity
Monday 30 November 2020Last week we saw the implementation of HM Treasury’s long-anticipated consultation response, but what lessons have been learnt from a year in the wilderness?
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The Economics of Lurking at Home
Friday 27 November 2020What are the impacts of the increase in remote working?
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Better Forecasting in the Public Sector Webcast
Thursday 26 November 2020A second chance to listen to this week's instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Allocations are Forever
Thursday 26 November 2020The strategic asset allocation decision is a key one in the investment process
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Statutory Overrides
Tuesday 24 November 2020Local government benefits from several statutory overrides
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Market Update Webcast
Friday 20 November 2020A second chance to listen to this week's instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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High mortgage rates in a low interest rate environment
Monday 16 November 2020Why are we seeing a continual rise in mortgage rates despite the Bank of England’s efforts to keep underlying rates low?
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The vaccine has landed: All is well
Thursday 12 November 2020The possibility of a vaccine is a real cause for optimism, but how much has it changed the outlook for the economy?
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Layering your Investments
Tuesday 10 November 2020Investment portfolios are like onions. How? They both have layers!
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From 'V' to 'W'
Friday 06 November 2020What is the projected path for UK economic recovery?
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US Election Result Special Webcast
Thursday 05 November 2020A second chance to listen to this week's instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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US Election Day
Tuesday 03 November 2020With 538 electoral college votes for grabs from 50 states (plus The District of Columbia), the electoral system might be slightly confusing, but what is at stake isn’t; like it or not the winner will set the agenda of the entire world for the next four years.
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Low Risk But Not Risk Free
Friday 30 October 2020Money Market Funds are a very low risk investment option due to their liquidity and diversification but with market volatility rising and yields falling investors should not become complacent.
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What is SONIA?
Monday 26 October 2020LIBOR looks set to disappear and new investment, borrowing and hedging products, such as interest rate swaps, are already being based on SONIA, so a good understanding of the rate is necessary.
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Local Authority Derivatives – Regulatory Framework
Thursday 22 October 2020A recent local authority interest rate swap transaction, developed by Arlingclose and believed to be the first of its kind in over thirty years, has reignited the debate around power to use derivatives. In this note we set out the legal and regulatory background to local authority use of derivatives.
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Quantum of Tolerance
Thursday 22 October 2020Assessing risk tolerance is no easy task and requires a variety of both objective and subjective judgements.
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An Interest in Swaps Webcast
Thursday 22 October 2020A second chance to listen to this week's instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Brexit Deadline Day Webcast with Columbia Threadneedle
Thursday 15 October 2020A second chance to listen to this week's instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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The Future of the High Street?
Thursday 15 October 2020This topic was spoken about long before COVID-19 reared its ugly head, but with lockdowns still in place across the globe, this question is more pertinent than ever
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Negotiating PFI, PPP, JV and Outsourced Service Delivery Arrangements
Wednesday 14 October 2020Increasingly, Arlingclose is being asked to provide advice on local authority contracts including Private Finance Initiatives, other forms of Public Private Partnerships and Joint Ventures and outsourced services.
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Interest Rate Risk Management Using Swaps
Thursday 08 October 2020Local authorities which fund their borrowing requirements from either internal borrowing or short-term variable rate borrowing from other local authorities are exposed to the risk of interest rates rising. A swap is one way of managing this risk.
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Security in a Negative Rate Environment
Wednesday 07 October 2020When interest rates are negative, and you withdraw your cash with interest deducted, have you broken the golden rule of keeping your investment secure?
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Diversifying Debt with EY Webcast
Monday 05 October 2020A second chance to listen to last week's instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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A History of Base Rate
Friday 02 October 2020Base Rate is older than you might think and started when the Bank of England was granted a Royal Charter by King William and Queen Mary in 1694.
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REITs in a Local Authority Investment Portfolio
Thursday 01 October 2020Are Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) a good investment for local authorities?
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Brexit: Where are we now?
Tuesday 29 September 2020Four years, three prime ministers and one pandemic later, we approach the finish line for Brexit negotiations. What are the issues preventing a trade agreement from being reached?
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Revolving Credit Facilities
Friday 25 September 2020An introduction to Revolving Credit Facilities: how can local authorities use them and why is it a good time to start thinking about them.
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Longer or Lower Webcast
Tuesday 22 September 2020A second chance to listen to last week's instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Income Strips
Tuesday 22 September 2020Income Strip transactions could be just one of the options available in a brave new world of local authority capital funding.
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Negative Expectations
Friday 18 September 2020Expectations for negative rates, apparently kicked into the long grass by the Bank of England as recently as the August Monetary Policy Report, have received a boost following the publication of the minutes of the September MPC meeting.
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Is your Working Capital, Working for you?
Friday 18 September 2020Working capital can no longer be the forgotten element of treasury planning
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The Return is not Enough
Monday 14 September 2020Risk should also be involved in any decision-making.
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Managing Liquidity in a Negative Rate Environment Webcast
Friday 11 September 2020A second chance to listen to this week's instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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What happened to Carillion?
Friday 11 September 2020What led to their demise and were the warning signs there?
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Future Funding Forum Webcast
Tuesday 08 September 2020A second chance to listen to last week's instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Pass the PWLB
Monday 07 September 2020Allowing local authorities to transfer PWLB loans between each other could dramatically increase flexibility in debt management, reduce risk and deliver substantial savings. In this Insight Arlingclose examine how this could work.
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Strategic Fund Allocations and Managing Risk
Wednesday 02 September 2020How do you minimise risk when investing in Strategic Pooled Funds?
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The Capital Financing Requirement (CFR)
Tuesday 01 September 2020The CFR measures a vital component of an authority’s capital strategy, the amount of capital spending that has not yet been financed by capital receipts, capital grants or contributions from revenue income.
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Liquidity Management Webcast
Friday 28 August 2020A second chance to listen to this week's instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Give us a Waive
Tuesday 25 August 2020Sterling yields are heading towards zero – and perhaps MMF fees are too
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Managing Optimum Cash Balances
Monday 24 August 2020Liquidity is a key requirement of an effective treasury operation but is holding excessive liquidity an expensive luxury in the current interest rate environment? Are there ways in which the optimum cash balance can be calculated?
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Are you holding too much cash?
Friday 21 August 2020The elephant in the room is the likelihood of more widespread negative interest rates
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Equity Markets & Equity Funds Update Webcast
Thursday 20 August 2020A second chance to listen to this week's instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Capitalising on your Capital Strategy
Thursday 20 August 2020Arlingclose have provided our clients with a template to form the basis for their capital strategy
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Accounting for Negative Interest Income
Wednesday 19 August 2020Corporate finance managers should be thinking now about the accounting implications, ready for when the time comes.
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Surprised?
Monday 17 August 2020After a number of positive data releases outperformed expectations, is it possible that economists' forecasts are too pessimistic?
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The Usable Capital Receipts Reserve
Thursday 13 August 2020As Statements of Accounts are being produced is there an opportunity to review the balance sheet and make sure we are making the best use of resources?
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iDealTrade - a Local Authority Dealing Platform
Tuesday 11 August 2020Find out more about what makes iDealTrade an easy, reliable and secure trading solution.
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Can we still bank on the banks?
Wednesday 05 August 2020Should depositors be any more concerned compared to a few months ago?
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Commercial Property Investment Update
Tuesday 04 August 2020Can a local authority with a small and concentrated exposure to commercial property deal with the impact of non-payment or reduction in rental levels?
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Managing Commercial Property Risk Webcast
Monday 03 August 2020A second chance to listen last week's instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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A New National Infrastructure Bank?
Friday 31 July 2020With the UK set to lose access to European Investment Bank finance, could we see a new independent infrastructure institution?
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Time to do something different on debt?
Tuesday 28 July 2020HM Treasury’s consultation on the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) “Future Lending Terms” closes at the end of July. While we wait to find out about new rules, rates and availability, an expanding band of borrowers are asking themselves - is it time to do something different on debt?
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Section 114
Monday 27 July 2020What is Section 114 and why is it more relevant during the Covid-19 pandemic?
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Demography is Destiny
Friday 24 July 2020What does a future world look like where population shrinks rather than grows?
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Investment Benchmarking; what does it tell us?
Thursday 23 July 2020Arlingclose' quarterly investment benchmarking under the microscope
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PAC Report on Commercial Investments Webcast
Thursday 23 July 2020A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Am IBORing you?
Monday 20 July 2020The Countdown to 2021: What’s happening with LIBOR transition?
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How Creditworthy is your Leisure Provider?
Tuesday 14 July 2020Councils are often forced to step in with short term finance to ensure continuity of service.
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The Importance of Financial Support and the Necessity of Due Diligence
Friday 10 July 2020Arlingclose has a successful track record of performing due diligence on a variety of commercial enterprises, from housing associations to retailers to property developers.
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The Future for Sustainable Capitalism Webcast
Thursday 09 July 2020A second chance to listen to the next instalment of the #TrendingTreasury series
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Getting the Balance Right
Monday 06 July 2020Is it now time to consider future borrowing relating to the two funds under two separate borrowing strategies?
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Happy Bobby Bonilla Day!
Wednesday 01 July 2020This story teaches us the risk of having certain outgoings paid for by uncertain income
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Potential Sunburn for Commercial Property
Monday 29 June 2020A CVA is a process which allows an insolvent company to pay creditors over a fixed period.
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Are We Approaching the End of QE in the UK?
Thursday 25 June 2020Are we approaching the end of QE?
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PWLB Consultation & The Future of LA Borrowing Webcast
Friday 19 June 2020A second chance to listen to the fifth webcast in the #TrendingTreasury series
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Can it be Capitalised?
Friday 19 June 2020Are you making a significant charge to Revenue when it could be Capitalised?
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Arlingclose digs deep… and plants a tree.
Wednesday 17 June 2020Read the steps that we have taken in becoming carbon negative.
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Return of reason or temporary hiatus?
Friday 12 June 2020Had investors simply got ahead of themselves or is there more to the rise than meets the eye?
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QE: Price Inflation or Asset Price Inflation Webcast
Friday 12 June 2020A second chance to listen to the fourth webcast in the #TrendingTreasury series
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PWLB Future Lending Terms – The Sooner the Better?
Friday 05 June 2020Over the past twelve months, forecasting PWLB rates has become much more complicated.
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Banks are safer than in 2008 – but safer for who?
Friday 29 May 2020The UK banking sector has undergone significant structural changes since the global financial crisis of 2007-09. So if coronavirus has a similar impact on banks, how different will the impact be?
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Responsible Investment – ESG Engagement
Thursday 28 May 2020Engagement is a popular approach to responsible investment
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What is Dividend Yield?
Friday 22 May 2020Does a stock with a high dividend yield automatically make a great investment?
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Value Investing in the Time of Coronavirus Webinar
Thursday 21 May 2020Arlingclose hosted Schroders’ Ben Arnold, CFA to discuss how value investing strategies are holding up during the pandemic.
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Code Commitments
Tuesday 19 May 2020Ensuring councils continue to operate within the Money Markets Code.
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The Last Time Things Were This Bad
Thursday 14 May 2020This article looks at what happened in a very different and very long ago economic crisis.
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How Slow Can You Go?
Thursday 14 May 2020How slow are credit rating agencies at updating ratings?
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Managing Borrowing and Investment in UK Local Authorities
Thursday 14 May 2020External Insight
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Coronavirus and Commercial Property Webinar
Tuesday 12 May 2020Coronavirus and Commercial Property
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Credit cards getting locked-down?
Wednesday 06 May 2020What do consumer credit data tell us about the impact of the lockdown?
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The Fiscal Cost of Tackling Coronavirus
Friday 24 April 2020Some startling but perhaps not unexpected numbers have been bandied about over the last couple of days.
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Risky Business
Wednesday 22 April 2020Using sustainable hedging strategies to minimise interest rate risk.
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How low can we go, and how fast will we get there?
Tuesday 07 April 2020Consumer confidence has plunged, read Arlingclose' take on the latest economic releases
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Are you Missing Out on MRP Savings?
Thursday 23 January 2020Minimum Revenue Provision (or Loans Fund Repayments in Scotland) is the local authority equivalent of depreciation.
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After Mark Carney; who could be next?
Wednesday 11 September 2019Who is going to replace Mark Carney in January 2020?
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IFRS 9 and Other Common Year End Problems
Friday 19 July 2019IFRS 9 and Other Common Year End Problems
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Negative yield curves and the outlook for UK monetary policy
Friday 21 June 2019Negative Yield Curves
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Summer Loanin’: When's the best date to deal?
Wednesday 05 June 2019Summer Loanin’: When is the best date to deal?
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Monitoring Risk in Local Government Finance
Friday 05 April 2019Financial Strength Ratings
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Interest Rates – How Low Can They Go?
Thursday 28 March 2019Interest Rates – How Low Can They Go?
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Investment Property: a calculated risk?
Monday 04 February 2019Investment Property Analysis
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HRA Debt Cap. Is it the answer to the housing crisis?
Friday 12 October 2018HRA Debt Cap. Is it the answer to the housing crisis?
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The new stars in the Bank of England’s Inflation Report
Monday 20 August 2018The new stars in the Bank of England’s Inflation Report
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Are You Capital Rich but Revenue Poor?
Tuesday 01 May 2018Are You Capital Rich but Revenue Poor?
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Minimum Revenue Provision - Revised Guidance
Tuesday 27 March 2018Minimum Revenue Provision - Revised Guidance
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iDealTrade - February 2018 Review
Wednesday 07 March 2018IDealTrade - February 2018 Review
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External Insight - Deutsche Asset Management
Tuesday 27 February 2018EU Money Market Reform - LVNAVs: Cash or cash-equivalent?
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IFRS 9 and Pooled Funds
Monday 05 February 2018A treasury manager and a financial accountant were overheard chatting by the coffee machine recently…
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What could a hard Brexit mean for investors?
Tuesday 12 December 2017As negotiations continue between Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker, many are discussing whether we are going to have a hard or a soft Brexit. What does this mean exactly?
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iDealTrade - Local Authority Market Insight
Thursday 07 December 2017Arlingclose launched iDealTrade.net on 8th November 2017. iDealTrade is a platform for local authorities to borrow and lend to one another, a market which has grown massively in recent years due to the high credit quality of local authorities and the flexibility and affordability of the funding they can offer.
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Bank Stress Tests 2017 – Resilience, but no room for complacency
Wednesday 06 December 2017Bank Stress Tests 2017 – Resilience, but no room for complacency
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The REIT way to invest in commercial property?
Tuesday 21 November 2017The REIT way to invest in commercial property?
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External Insight - DCLG considering allowing shared ownership for RTB replacements
Friday 25 August 2017The government is considering proposals from a group of 50 councils to allow them to spend Right to Buy receipts on purchasing properties for shared ownership.
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Bail-in at Banco Popular Espanol makes it a model for future failing banks
Monday 12 June 2017Drowned out by the noise of last week’s UK general election, one event went under the radar: the first demonstration of the formal and swift bail-in of a failing bank under the EU’s Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD), making it a model...
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Newham & Barclays LOBO Restructuring
Thursday 02 March 2017Newham & Barclays LOBO Restructuring
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External Insight - Woodford Investment Management Ltd.
Monday 20 February 2017Are UK equities overvalued?
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External Insight - CCLA - Property Sector Perspective
Monday 06 February 2017External Insight - CCLA - Property Sector Perspective
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External Insight - Insight Investments - Asset-backed securities, ‘The Big Long’?
Monday 30 January 2017External Insight - Insight Investments - Asset-backed securities, ‘The Big Long’?
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External Insight - Charteris - Inflation/Deflation Cycle: Why Index Linked Gilts Are Not The Answer
Thursday 12 January 2017External Insight - Charteris - Inflation/Deflation Cycle: Why Index Linked Gilts Are Not The Answer
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External Insight - Payden & Rygel
Monday 09 January 2017External Insight - Payden & Rygel
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External Insight - Federated Investors (UK)
Wednesday 04 January 2017External Insight - Federated Investors (UK)
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Asset Financing and Leasing Variations
Monday 02 January 2017Asset Financing and Leasing Variations
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The Prudential Regulation Authority
Friday 04 November 2016The Prudential Regulation Authority
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Quantitative Easing: Bingeing on Bonds?
Thursday 29 September 2016Quantitative Easing: Bingeing on Bonds?
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Borrowing Update - Post-EU Referendum Vote
Sunday 26 June 2016Borrowing Update - Post-EU Referendum Vote
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Death Of A LOBO
Sunday 26 June 2016Barclays Bank has tackled their problematic local authority Lenders Option Borrowers Option (LOBO) book head on, informing all standard LOBO borrowers they have permanently waived their options to increase the rate on these loans.
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Keep Calm and Carry On
Friday 24 June 2016The United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union
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