UBS to cut more jobs

According to MarketWatch: “UBS said it’s cutting its investment bank division to 15,000 jobs as it revamps its business. The Swiss bank also is creating two new divisions, Wealth Management & Swiss Bank and Wealth Management Americas.”

AP Investigation: Banks sought foreign workers

According to AP Investigation: “Banks collecting billions of dollars in federal bailout money sought government permission to bring thousands of foreign workers to the U.S. for high-paying jobs, according to an Associated Press review of visa applications.”

“The dozen banks receiving the biggest rescue packages, totaling more than $150 billion, requested visas for more than 21,800 foreign workers over the past six years for positions that included senior vice presidents, corporate lawyers, junior investment analysts and human resources specialists. The average annual salary for those jobs was $90,721, nearly twice the median income for all American households.”

“It is unclear how many foreign workers the banks actually hired; the government does not release those details. The actual number is likely a fraction of the 21,800 foreign workers the banks sought to hire because the government limits the number of visas it grants to 85,000 each year among all U.S. employers.”

“During the last three months of 2008, the largest banks that received taxpayer loans announced more than 100,000 layoffs. The number of foreign workers included among those laid off is unknown.”

Source: Yahoo Finance

~News submitted by Ben

Dexia faces $3 billion loss, plans 900 job cuts

French-Belgian bank Dexia (BE: DEXB) on Friday said it lost around 2.3 billion euros ($3 billion) in the fourth-quarter and plans to cut 900 jobs in 2009 as part of a major reorganization.

Source: MarketWatch

Compass Bank to cut 10 percent of staff

According to AP, BusinessWeek: “Compass Bank says it is cutting 1,200 workers, or about 10 percent of its staff, as part of an overall reorganization.

The company said Friday the job cuts will spread across all of its business units in six states. Compass said the workers who will lose their jobs will be notified within the next few days and will receive severance. The cuts include management and non-managment positions.”

Fresh UBS job cuts suggest more to come for sector

According to Reuters (ZURICH/LONDON): “A new round of job cuts at Swiss bank UBS AG two months after an earlier cull shows thousands more bankers may be on their way out as investment banks struggle with a crisis critics say they helped cause.”

Analysts at JP Morgan said they expect UBS to reduce its investment banking headcount by another 1,100 by the end of 2010, with Deutsche Bank cutting 4,000 investment bankers and Credit Suisse, which slashed in December 5,300 jobs, about 200.

“We expect staff levels in 2009 to be adjusted to 2005 levels, with revenues in 2010 to match 2002-03 levels,” they said.

News submitted by Alan Clegg

HSBC, Credit Suisse to cut 1,150 jobs

Press Trust of India / UK, London: “Amid the ongoing economic crisis, the banking sector continues to be hit by mass layoffs with financial service major Credit Suisse and HSBC announcing additional 1,150 job cuts, a media report says.

According to the Financial Times, Credit Suisse will be trimming its workforce by 10 per cent leading to job loss for 650 employees, while HSBC said it was slashing 500 jobs.
Credit Suisse has been impacted by the loan writedowns, which has led to two quarters of losses for Switzerland’s second-largest bank this year, the report said.
A majority of the jobs at Credit Suisse would be cut in the investment banking and the support functions segment.”

“Earlier, HSBC said that it would cut 500 jobs in Asia as part of a shake-up of its global banking and markets division.

Besides, Citigroup had also announced it was shedding 52,000 staff worldwide, while Royal Bank of Scotland plans to cut about 3,000 jobs in its investment banking division.”