According to the readers of Financial Marketing UK, new high street entrant MetroBank is likely only to be a niche player in the domestic market.

Insurance company planted bikes in well-known theft hotspots across London, but the thieves didn't turn up. Aviva's PR stunt only served to highlight the importance of having a good lock for your bike.

UBS has signed an agreement to become a Global Partner of Formula 1.

Investment company Skandia is to ramp up its consumer marketing activity to promote its “fresh approach to investment” and take on higher profile rivals Aviva and Standard Life.

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group has recruited Royal Dutch Shell and British Gas marketer Nimai Swaroop to the new position of group head of employer branding and marketing.

Charity Bank, a social banking initiative, has appointed creative agency Stone Soup to design a range of marketing materials to garner interest in the venture.

Tottenham Hotspur has signed a two-year shirt sponsorship deal with Investec bank for the 2010/2011 seasons, valued in the region of £5m plus bonuses.

HSBC group marketing chief Tracy Britton has left the bank to return to the US. Head of customer experience Chris Clark will replace Britton on an interim basis.

As Spanish bank Santander overtakes HSBC's branch network by buying 318 branches from RBS, taking it into fourth place in the bank branch league, a wave of new banking startups is set to sweep on to the UK's high streets.

Moneysupermarket.com has said its "Haggle Hero" campaign, staring the comedian Omid Djalili, has helped boost sales, with revenue at the company rising 4% to £71.6m for the first half of the year. The campaign, created by Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy, broke in January and has featured a number of executions promoting the money and insurance parts of the price comparison website.

The Egg banking brand is up for sale, with owner Citigroup looking to offload it after only three years. Citigroup bought the internet and telephone banking company from Prudential in 2007 for £575m. According to reports, it is looking to fetch £500m from the sale.

Santander has strengthened its position in the UK by agreeing the £1.65bn purchase of 318 branches from the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS). The acquisition means that Santander’s market share in SME banking in the UK will grow from 3% to more than 8%.

Prudential UK has chosen media agency John Ayling & Associates to handle its £2m media planning and buying business.

Barclays Cycle Hire launches in London today (30 July), with the bank defending the strategy behind its £25m, five-year sponsorship of the scheme.

Virgin Money, the financial services arm of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, has postponed its launch into mainstream banking until the spring.

No prizes for guessing the big story today. Metro Bank, the first new UK high street bank for over 100 years, opens its doors today with the launch of its flagship branch in Holborn, London.

Orange is poised to launch a number of financial products and services that it says will “revolutionise the way people pay on the high street”.

Metro Bank, the UK-based retail bank founded by celebrated US entrepreneur Vernon Hill, will exclusively use MasterCard payment products when it opens for business on 29 July.

Nationwide is to review the role sponsorship plays in its marketing mix following confirmation that it is to end its 11-year partnership with the England team.

US private equity business JC Flowers is set to enter the UK financial services market through a joint venture with Kent Reliance Building Society.