(Adds company news, futures)
Oct 27 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 5 points higher at 7,491.5, according to financial spreadbetters, with futures FFIc1 up 0.13 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* BRITAIN-MOTOR INSURANCE: The average price of motor insurance in Britain jumped 10 percent in the third quarter of the year, taking premiums to their highest level since 2012, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said. BRITAIN-HOTELS: Britain's competition regulator said on Friday it would investigate hotel booking websites over its concerns that they did not help people find the best deal and were potentially breaking consumer law. HASTINGS GROUP: British insurer Hastings Group Holdings Plc HSTG.L reported a rise in nine-month gross written premiums, as legal changes drove up the cost of motor insurance and policies rose. CARILLION: Carillion CLLN.L , the British construction and support services company that has issued two profit warnings this year, named Andrew Davies, head of family-owned construction group Wates Group, as its next chief executive. ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND: Royal Bank of Scotland RBS.L reported a better than expected operating profit for the third quarter of 871 million pounds ($1.14 billion) on Friday, as it kept costs under control and avoided any conduct charges. The administrator of insolvent German airline Air Berlin expects talks with easyJet (LON:EZJ) and Thomas Cook's German airline Condor to reach a conclusion in the coming days, he said on Friday. RBS: Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc RBS.L agreed to pay more than $44 million and enter a non-prosecution agreement to settle a U.S. Department of Justice criminal probe of traders accused of defrauding customers on bond prices. VEDANTA: Indian resources conglomerates Adani and Vedanta are considering bidding for a $9 billion diamond project in the country that was abandoned by global miner Rio Tinto RIO.AX RIO.L this year, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter. BOE: The Bank of England and the insurers it regulates must find common ground over proposed tweaks to European Union rules so that the 1.9 trillion pound ($2.5 trillion) sector stays competitive after Brexit, a panel of UK lawmakers said in a report on Friday. UK HOME PRICES: Public confidence in the outlook for British house prices has dropped to its lowest in nearly five years, weighed by pessimism about the economy rather than the prospect of higher interest rates, a survey showed on Friday. GOLD: Gold prices drifted in a narrow range on Friday after hitting a near three-week low in early trade as the dollar gained against the euro after the European Central Bank extended its bond buying programme. Spot gold XAU= was roughly unchanged at $1,267 per ounce as of 0253 GMT after touching its lowest since Oct. 6 at $1265.08. OIL: Oil prices inched higher on Friday, with Brent crude approaching $60 a barrel amid tightening market expectations, buoyed by comments from Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince backing the extension of OPEC-led output cuts. International benchmark Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up 10 cents, or 0.17 percent, at $59.40 a barrel at 0210 GMT. Strong commodities stocks and a weaker pound helped Britain's top share index recover from three-week lows on Thursday, though Barclays (LON:BARC) fell sharply after its third quarter update. The FTSE 100 .FTSE closed up 0.5 percent, its best day in a week as dollar-earning stocks got a boost from a falling pound after the worst plunge in retail sales since 2008. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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