After five years of falling or stagnant incomes, Russian consumers are facing yet more bad news in 2019, Bloomberg News reported. First came the Jan. 1 increase in the value-added tax by two percentage points. A few weeks later, the central bank signaled it could limit one of the key sources battered shoppers have been relying on to keep up their spending: a boom in consumer lending. Real disposable incomes contracted 1.3 percent last month, according to an estimate released by the Federal Statistics Service late Tuesday. The median of 9 economists forecast a decline of 0.9 percent.

The recapitalization of Germany’s NordLB bank should be investigated by the European Commission as it likely involved state aid that might have violated European Union rules, two EU lawmakers said on Tuesday. The lender, which has been struggling for years due to its exposure to the crisis-hit shipping industry, said in February that the German regional state of Lower Saxony and Saxony Anhalt had decided to go ahead with a recapitalization, also backed by German savings banks, Reuters reported.

The family of Israeli property tycoon Amir Dayan is among buyers of a portfolio of U.K. hotels leased to Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., according to people with knowledge of the deal. The group of nine hotels, which entered a form of bankruptcy protection under U.K. insolvency laws starting in early 2018, was acquired by companies controlled by Vivion Investments Sarl for 246 million pounds ($315 million), according to a filing by the administrators appointed to oversee the properties, Bloomberg News reported.

Greece plans to pump as much as 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) into its banks over the next five years by subsidizing a part of households’ mortgage repayments, Bloomberg News reported. Under the plan, some households unable to repay their home loans will restructure their debts with the banks, with the state then paying part of the remaining monthly installments, according to three people familiar with plan, who asked not to be named as details still need to be finalized. Greek banks are grappling with 88.6 billion euros of bad loans, a legacy of the country’s financial crisis.

Isla Rowntree, the founder of British children’s bike maker Islabikes, has resorted to stacking spare parts in meeting spaces and office rooms as she gets ready for a potentially chaotic no-deal Brexit next month, Reuters reported. But the inconvenience of finding the space for six months’ worth of stock is small compared with the financial consequences, she says.

Delta Air Lines Inc. and U.K. discounter EasyJet Plc may invest as much as 400 million euros ($452 million) total in the latest attempt to revamp struggling Italian airline Alitalia SpA, according to people familiar with an initial draft of the plan, Bloomberg News reported. Investors in a group led by rail operator Ferrovie dello Stato SpA are evaluating the financial needs of the “new Alitalia” that would emerge after the second bankruptcy process in a decade, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private.

British regional airline Flybmi has gone into administration and has cancelled all flights with immediate effect, the company said in a statement on Saturday, blaming Brexit uncertainty as one of the reasons for its collapse, Reuters reported. A spokesperson for British Midland Regional Ltd said the company had taken the decision due to increased fuel and carbon costs and to uncertainty arising from Britain’s plans to leave the European Union on March 29. The airline, based in the English East Midlands, operates 17 planes flying to 25 European cities.

Troubled outsourcing group Interserve would have to pay £66 million immediately to lenders if its largest shareholder Coltrane blocks the debt restructuring deal and removes some board members, Sky News reported on Thursday. The company will also have to repay “tens of millions of pounds” if its Chief Financial Officer Mark Whiteling is removed from the board, the report said.

Credit Suisse Group AG’s three-year turnaround ended with more of a whimper than a bang after trading losses eroded gains in wealth management and investment banking. The Global Markets business posted a larger-than-expected loss of 193 million francs ($191 million) in the fourth quarter, offsetting wealth management and investment banking results that beat estimates, Bloomberg News reported. In a tough quarter for money managers, the Zurich-based bank bucked a trend of large outflows at rivals, adding about half a billion francs of net new money.

Italy’s Salini Impregilo has offered to invest 225 million euros ($254 million) to rescue troubled rival construction group Astaldi, the company said on Thursday. Subscribing to a reserved capital increase, the proceeds of which will help Astaldi repay debt, Salini will gain a 65 percent stake, it said in a statement, Reuters reported. Salini said the offer was conditional on Astaldi reaching an accord with its creditors as well as other long-term investors contributing to the cash call and banks agreeing to grant Astaldi credit to stabilise the group’s finances and operations.