All articles by Jo Tacon

Jo Tacon

Lex Autolease: New name for integrated fleet lessor announced

The name of the integrated business formed from the merger of the two major fleet lessors owned by Lloyds Banking Group – Lex and Lloyds TSB Autolease – has been announced. Lex Autolease will be the new brand identity for Lloyds’ fleet management and leasing operation, which, with a fleet size of over 360,000 vehicles, will be by far the largest fleet operator in the UK. No timetable for the introduction of the new name has been announced, and the formation of the senior management team is still underway, although its managing director will be Nigel Stead, currently MD of Lloyds TSB Autolease.

Green leaves top job at GE Capital UK

The managing director of GE Capital, Rich Green, has stepped down from his role.

FLA seeks capital allowance extension for SMEs

Capital allowances for SMEs should be extended in Alistair Darling’s forthcoming Budget (22 April), the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) said.

Saab Contract Hire division closed

Fleet management and leasing company Masterlease has said it has stopped writing new fleet business at its Saab Contract Hire division The decision to pull the plug on leasing Saab vehicles follows the news last month that the manufacturer, formerly part of General Motors, has filed for reorganisation the equivalent of going into administration in its home country of Sweden.

Lloyds scoops three deals in one month

As well as 6,000 vehicles in the UK, the deal covers, through LTSBas pan-European joint venture Fleet Synergy International, 7,500 vehicles in Germany, 2,300 in Hungary and 2,000 in the Czech Republic 17,800 vehicles altogether, meaning E.ON is now Fleet Synergys largest client

Association members cut 3m tonnes of CO2

The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) has announced that its members have cut 3m tonnes of carbon emissions from their fleets over the past four years – equivalent to 1.5 tonnes of CO2 for every business car in BVRLA members fleets.

Green issues at heart of Leaseurope conference

Green issues at heart of Leaseurope conference There were two main themes on the agenda of the recent Leaseurope conference in Edinburgh, even if they were not officially present in the descriptions of the talks on offer: the current credit crunch, and the environment How will lessors and finance providers adapt to a world where providing finance for, say, the expansion of an airport in Essex could lead to protests outside a head office in Paris – and the attendant bad publicity

Giants muscle in on sale-and-leaseback boom

Fleet lessors are receiving more enquiries about sale-and-leaseback from business customers looking to boost their cash position, leading fleet companies have reported.

Lots on its mind

Is this the end of the asset finance arms of HBOS and Lloyds TSB as we know it?

Credit Suisse awards Park management contract

Credit Suisse has awarded a contract to service the loan portfolio of Park Motor Finance to Target Loan Servicing (TLS). The Swiss investment bank remains the owner of the Park book.