PRESS DIGEST - Financial Times - April 3

Financial Times

INVESTORS HIT BACK AT TRINITY MIRROR

Big investors in Trinity Mirror have hit back at proposed changes to the pay scheme for Sly Bailey, its chief executive, saying that cuts to directors' remuneration packages do not go far enough. link.reuters.com/hat47s

RBS EYES FIRST PAYOUT IN FOUR YEARS

Royal Bank of Scotland is preparing to make its first dividend payment in four years as the state-backed bank attempts to overcome one of a number of obstacles in its path to reprivatisation. link.reuters.com/jat47s

EU'S BARNIER HITS OUT AT LOBBYING 'REARGUARD'

Europe's most senior financial regulator has hit back at "rearguard lobbying" by the hedge fund and private equity industries, saying he "will not be intimidated" by an attempt to undermine a deal to regulate the industry for the first time. link.reuters.com/kat47s

SEC'S RISK MONITORS HOME IN ON BOARDS

The Securities and Exchange Commission has held meetings about risk management with directors at Goldman Sachs and several other financial groups in an attempt to increase accountability at board level. link.reuters.com/mat47s

GE TAKES RISK IN BRINGING JOBS HOME

Jeff Immelt, General Electric's chief executive, says the decision to put $1 billion into the group's domestic appliances business is "as risky an investment as we have ever made." link.reuters.com/nat47s

AVON REJECTS $10 BILLION OFFER FROM COTY

Avon Products has rejected an unsolicited $10 billion cash offer from Coty, the privately owned U.S. fragrance group, as the door-to-door cosmetics seller seeks to stay independent while searching for a new chief executive and grappling with financial and legal troubles. link.reuters.com/pat47s

WOMEN VOTERS SURGE TO OBAMA

Barack Obama has secured a large lead over Mitt Romney among women voters after the recent conservative debate in the U.S. over contraception, according to new polls, tempering Republican relief that the party's prolonged nomination fight is coming to an end. link.reuters.com/qat47s

CVC AND VALUEACT QUIT BIDDING FOR MISYS

CVC Capital Partners and ValueAct Capital have pulled out of the race to buy Misys, leaving Vista Equity Partners in pole position to take over the banking software specialist. link.reuters.com/rat47s

($1 = 0.6244 British pounds) (Reporting by Stephen Mangan)