LONDON (ShareCast) - BB Holdings’ chairman Lord Ashcroft spent more than £1m lifting his stake in the Belize-based financial services group, it announced today.

Lord Ashcroft, who is deputy chairman of the Conservative party and who served as Belize’s representative to the UN until 2000, bought 620,164 shares in the AIM-listed company at 220p a time and now has around 45.5m shares or 72.8% of the company.

BB’s chief financial officer Peter Gaze also bought in, taking 350,000 shares at the same price, lifting his stake to 462,227 shares.

Lord Ashcroft last bought into BB Holdings, which owns the Belize Bank, towards the end of last year, taking several smaller stakes than his latest purchase at 230p.

Belize Bank is the central American country’s largest commercial banking operation, accounting for more than 40% of its loans and deposits.


Top Director Buys

BB Holdings (BBHL)
Director name: Lord Lord Ashcroft
Amount purchased: 620,164 @ 220.00p
Value: £1,364,361

BB Holdings (BBHL)
Director name: Mr Peter Michael Reeder Gaze
Amount purchased: 350,000 @ 220.00p
Value: £770,000

PureCircle (PURE)
Director name: Mr Olivier Maes
Amount purchased: 80,000 @ 203.00p
Value: £162,400

QinetiQ Group (QQ.)
Director name: Mr Graham Love
Amount purchased: 53,756 @ 198.00p
Value: £106,437

Ceres Power Holdings (CWR)
Director name: Mr Brian Count
Amount purchased: 50,000 @ 190.00p
Value: £95,000

Independent Investment Trust (IIT)
Director name: Mr Maxwell C B Ward
Amount purchased: 30,000 @ 175.00p
Value: £52,500

Bulgarian Property Developments (BPD)
Director name: Mr Ivo Hesmondhalgh
Amount purchased: 94,951 @ 52.00p
Value: £49,375

Stobart Group (STOB)
Director name: Mr Andrew Tinkler
Amount purchased: 40,804 @ 110.00p
Value: £44,884

Stobart Group (STOB)
Director name: Mr William Stobart
Amount purchased: 40,804 @ 110.00p
Value: £44,884

Quintain Estates & Development (QED)
Director name: Mr Nicholas S K Shattock
Amount purchased: 23,500 @ 184.50p
Value: £43,358


Top Director Sells

Jarvis Securities (JIM)
Director name: Mr A J Grant
Amount sold: 100,000 @ 223.00p
Value: £223,000

Jarvis Securities (JIM)
Director name: Mr A J Grant
Amount sold: 58,000 @ 224.00p
Value: £129,920

Mapeley (MAY)
Director name: Mr Charles Parkinson
Amount sold: 5,000 @ 1,305.00p
Value: £65,250

Halma (HLMA)
Director name: Mr Kevin J Thompson
Amount sold: 30,900 @ 209.60p
Value: £64,766

Atkins (WS) (ATK)
Director name: Mr Robert MacLeod
Amount sold: 3,690 @ 1,053.20p
Value: £38,863

Halma (HLMA)
Director name: Mr Keith J Roy
Amount sold: 15,710 @ 209.60p
Value: £32,928

Halma (HLMA)
Director name: Mr Carol Chesney
Amount sold: 7,462 @ 209.60p
Value: £15,640

• News Channel