The Big Society Bank inches closer to fruition as the Financial Services Authority gives the Co-op Bank permission to dish out dormant accounts money, and the Charitable Incorporated Organisation legal structure moves a step closer too as the Charity Commission publishes guidance on how it will work.  

Co-operative Bank gets FSA authority to give out dormant accounts
 

The Co-operative Bank will officially announce later today that it has been given FSA authority to administer the Central Reclaim Fund, which will manage around £400m of assets from dormant bank accounts which have not been used for 15 years or more.

Commission admits CIO structure unlikely to find favour with big charities
 

The latest version of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation drops the provision for organisations that become CIOs to keep a register of mortgages and other charges over their property - a change that the Charity Commission admits may discourage larger charities from adopting the legal structure.

Sector umbrella bodies co-operate on letter to council leaders
 

NCVO, Navca and Acevo have written a joint letter to all council chief executives asking them to explain how they are applying the three 'tests of reasonableness' outlined by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, in their relationships with their local voluntary sector.

Big Issue Invest announces plans to create a social bank
 

Big Issue Invest has announced a long-term vision to become a social merchant bank providing a full range of finance for the social enterprise sector.

Big Lottery Fund moots talks to encourage government to release data to charities
 

The Big Lottery Fund would be prepared to talk with the government about releasing statutory data which charities could use to compare, measure and price their impact, says Ceri Doyle, director of strategy, performance and learning at the Big Lottery Fund.

Sector to lose £400,000 from scrapping of tax return tick-box
 

The scrapping of Self Assessment Donate, the mechanism for giving income tax repayments to charity via the tax return, which was announced in Wednesday's Budget but not given much attention, will see the sector lose around £400,000 a year.

Ruth Murphy to leave Newton and join Brewin Dolphin
 

Ruth Murphy, director of investment management and charities at Newton, will join Brewin Dolphin this summer, as its new head of charity business development.

New audit guidance released
 

Updated audit guidance incorporating new international standards and charity accounting regulations has been released by the Auditing Practices Board. Don Bawtree reports.

Implications of the Budget
 

Nick Brooks, head of not-for-profit at chartered accountants Kingston Smith LLP, provides a break-down analysis of the implications of last week's Budget for the charity and voluntary sector.

Freedom of Information Act should extend to charities delivering public services, says Information Commissioner
 

Public accountability will suffer, warns Christopher Graham, unless the Freedom of Information Act is extended to charities delivering public services.

Campaign travails
 

Ian Allsop gets on his soapbox to campaign for campaigning.