Bloomberg Harsher Federal Reserve stress tests this year won’t stop US banks from increasing their payouts to shareholders. As the annual review gets underway this week, the 25 largest lenders are gearing up to announce dividends and buybacks totaling roughly $30 billion more than last year, representing a 25 percent increase, according to analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. JPMorgan Chase …

Bloomberg Economists are increasingly questioning whether the Bank of England will raise interest rates in the coming months. Less than 55 percent of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg expect a hike in August, down from 60 percent in a similar poll in May. BOE officials are gathering this week for their June policy meeting, the minutes of which have the potential …

Bloomberg Chanda Kochhar, chief executive officer of ICICI Bank Ltd. will be going on leave as a panel appointed by the lender probes allegations against her. The bank’s board, which met in Mumbai, has decided to accept her request for going on leave, according to exchange filings. Sandeep Bakhshi, CEO of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co., will be chief operating …