NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT THIS LITTLE RASCAL-WHATS HAPPENING-ANY NEWS ABOUT MERGER-THERE IS RUMOURS THAT IT COULD VALUED AS MUCH AS 10P A SHARE-IS IT TRUE??IF ANY ONE KNOWS ANYTHING PLEASE REPLY-I COULDN'T BELEIVE THAT PEOPLE STOPPED WRITING ABOUT THIS SINCE THE MERGER ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE-BUT PLENTY OF SUGGESTIONS AND POSITIVE NOTES BEFORE THE ANNOUNCEMENT-IS IT GOING BUST???????

Not heard anything at all. It's all gone quiete.. Aim/Sm caps mkt is down overall over past few days and has knocked alot shares back and IAL has been no exception. I have to say it's anyones guess as to what will happen with IAL. I went in on this one as a good recovery play (sooner or later) last Sept. (shares mag)

patients is a virtue everyone, merger is most likely to happen, broker recommendation is strong. the next 4 month u will see the price near double. we wont get the 10p target as some people said because thats a very laughable value.

thanks nav, i`ve been in these since september and natrually these are shwoing a loss. i think that the tide should change in the next couple of months on the back of a possible merger with BBB. If memory serves me correct IAL are set to announce their results in April, so it`s worth hanging on `till then. I think the price would not rise much more than double it`s current value simply due to how much the stock has become diluted.

RBOS have disposed of over 6 million ordinary shares this morning, can someone let me know what impact this will have, if anything on the IAL share price, or why RBOS have done this.

Hi Thom, I`m still fairly new to share dealing but i can only think that this sort of thing cannot be a good thing, if a big institution is no longer interested then do they know something we don`t and wanna turn their shares into cash?????? Whatever their reasons I wouldn`t take this as a positive sign unfortunatly.

I am thinking of buying here.Do you think I should and if so,why ?
rgds aj

I have to say it's anyones guess as to what will happen with IAL. I went in on this one as a good recovery play (sooner or later) last Sept. (shares mag). I'm continuing to hold.
Good luck with whatever you do. If you do go in you'll need a great deal of patience with this one ! DYOR. Hope we'll get other views / comments also..:)

I too bought on recovery spec last septemeber, I had my sights on IAL before it`s recommendation in Shares mag, I bought in at 3p. The longer I leave this share in my portfolio the more anxiuos I`m becoming. I have recently sold half my stock and put my money into other stocks which should grow more. I do think the stock should recover given time but there`s always the risk it could go under, the recently announced possible merger with BBB did little to raise the price. I`m optimistic but at the same time becoming increasingly more cautious.

I bought these shares about 3 months ago on broker recommendation. I phoned my broker today and mentioned that RBS had recently sold 6 million shares in IAL.
My broker still recommends holding the shares.

Geoffrey,
Would be interested to know who the broker was and what are his reasons to recommend holding the shares.
I bought 100k shares @3p some 6 months ago from Hoodless. However, I bought these on the back of Shares mag buy rec. on recovery play. Hoodless also say hold on to shares.
Sometimes it's better if mergers don't come off as then company's can focus on getting things back on track, more quickly with more motivation... we'll see...In the meantime. it's like watching paint dry waiting to find out how it's going to turn out.-- painful!

It was Hoodless who advised to hold. They said, "it doesn't always mean there is something wrong when banks sell shares in the company".

I think we may see the shares rise if the next set of results show an improvement.

yo`ure right skyhigh, holding this stock is very painful, i think they are announcing some results in april if i recall so we should know a little more then about where the company is heading......

The below communication just released by BBB may be relevant ?

It looks like a re-org just before they merge with IAL. did he walk or was he pushed ? perhaps they are already rationalising and making room for the snr IAL guys. either way, we should get some news in the next week or two !



Berkeley Berry Birch PLC
03 March 2004



For Immediate Release

Berkeley Berry Birch plc Announces Board Changes

London, 3 March 2004: Berkeley Berry Birch plc, the financial services
distribution group, announces the appointment of Clifford P. Lockyer as Group
Chief Executive. This will be in addition to his current responsibilities as
Group Executive Chairman.

Craig Butcher will now remain as Finance Director with broader commercial
responsibilities.

Stephen Ingledew, the Company's current Group Chief Executive, has left the
Company by mutual consent to pursue alternative business opportunities.

I agree skyhigh, the CEO probably left as he was surplus to requirements in the new structure, or because he was against the merger proceeding.

Not looking good today though,,, down a 1/4p.. I always wonder why peeps sell just before somethings going to happen. Perhaps they know something...
Anyway, I'm still hanging in there.. hoping for the best ! :)

does anyone know why this share has lost 1/2p in two days?

I feel a dilution coming on !? Could be we're being softened up for a share placing / fund raising exercise ?
Unless something else startling happens, it'll go down a bit more, there'll merge and our shares will be devalued in some way.
In the long term, it will be good (12/18months away) as MKT Cap & Revenues will be double what it is today but costs will be halved. so profits should come good in the end.
there will also be some exceptional costs assoc. with the merger)

That's my take on it (IMHO. I could be totally wrong (usually am).
If it goes down further, might be worth buying some more. (speculative)Interested to hear other views...
Good luck all :)

SOME VERY BIG SELLS GOING THROUGH TODAY, 37 MILLION IN TOTAL, ANY NEWS FROM ANYWHERE?

Help ! what next ? Do I sell now at a 30% loss while I can ? or do I still continue to hold hoping it will still come good one way another. (or it could be worth even less then it is now !) It's s**t or bust !
The suspense is killing me ! :(

Being in financial services I've heard enough about IAL to know that I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. Like most companies in the industry they are paying far too much for the business they're pulling in. The government is systematically screwing margins with lower charge products (CAT standard ISA's, stakeholder pensions and the 1% world,) most companies have out of date technology, systems and working practices and can't afford to replace them - heap on the misery and cost of 'pension and endowment mis-selling' and you have an industry in pretty dire straits. I think this government is out to bury us and they're doing a fine job. I just hope we lasts the 10 years needed to get me to retirement. We're not all bad and I think we'll be missed. Not a sector I favour but dyor, sorry and good luck.