The 10 biggest business stories on Thursday October 8

US Volkswagen chief admits he knew of emissions problem in 2014; Deutsche Bank warns of large loss; The Bank of England interest rate decision is coming at 12 pm UK time

A man enters Deutsche Bank headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany June 9, 2015 (Reuters/Ralph Orlowski)

1. The Bank of England interest rate decision is coming at 12 pm UK time. Interest rates are expected to stay at 0.5 per cent amid mounting concern over an economy slowdown. Rates have remained unchanged since 2009.
    
2. Deutsche Bank announced a massive write-down. The bank said it expects a third-quarter loss of 6.2 billion euros ($6.96 billion). Investors took the news badly, and the stock fell by as much as 7 per cent in New York after-hours trading.
    
3. Volkswagen's US boss Michael Horn said he was told about a "possible emissions non-compliance" in the spring of 2014. The revelation was made in testimony due to be presented to a committee of the US House of Representatives investigating the scandal on Thursday .
    
4. The number of house sales agreed across the UK has reached a 16 month high - according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics).
    
5. Ladbrokes has appointed Kristof Fahy as its chief marketing officer. He will oversee all brand and marketing activity across digital and retail.
    
6. British food ingredients firm Tate & Lyle said its trading performance is in line with expectations and its full year guidance remains unchanged, ahead of its half-year results next month.
    
7. Technology firm Dell is in talks to merge with $50 billion storage giant EMC, The Wall Street Journal reports. It's unclear if this would be a full merger or if Dell would just buy parts of EMC's business.
    
8. Disney is lending images for a cause. The company is making popular designs from “Star Wars,” “Frozen” and “Iron Man” available for free for use on low-cost prosthetic hands for children, Bloomberg reports.
    
9. South Korea's Lee family, which controls the formidable Samsung conglomerate, topped an inaugural list of Asia's 50 richest families published Thursday by Forbes Asia magazine.
    
10. Amazon is considering creating its own online TV service. The company is said to have reached out to CBS and NBC Universal about including their channels.