Equities markets in the Asia-Pacific region were mostly lower on Wednesday, but there were a couple of notable exceptions to the declining trend. In South Korea, the Kospi index added 0.6 percent to 2,004.22, the first time it has closed above the 2,000 level. In China the Shanghai Composite adding 2.7 percent to 4,323.97. On [...]
The holiday season is well and truly here and it is crucial to ensure that you tell your insurer everything to avoid a dispute should you need to claim. Medical information accounts for 50% of all travel insurance complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service so non-disclosure of certain information could be a problem. Not only [...]
Account holders have been triumphant in recovering thousands of pounds in penalty charges that have been believed unfair under consumer contract law because they do not reflect the costs incurred by the account provider. A study by Credit Suisse has estimated that UK banks repaid £200 million during the first 6 months of 2007. Many [...]
Interest rates have risen again recently to 5.75% resulting in those with a variable mortgage rate struggling to meet their repayments but if you are a saver, rising interest rates should bring good news. Investec Private Bank has established that interest rates on some of the most attractive savings accounts have increased by less than [...]
Halifax Estate Agents is advising vendors selling properties with garages or off-road parking to make sure their garages are cleared of junk and that driveways are sound and weed-free. In a recent study, the estate agent found that 68% of potential buyers would be prepared to pay a premium for a home that has a [...]
The Government has released figures illustrating the dominance of the housing market in the UK economy. According to the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) annual round up of UK’s financial and non-financial assets, 60% of the country’s £6.5 trillion in wealth is tied up in property. The 5% increase in the country’s wealth since 2005 [...]
Gender directive could slash men’s annuity payouts
The EU Gender Directive, which came into force today, could see men losing up to £10,000 from their annuity payouts, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Under the new rules insurers are no longer allowed to take gender into account when setting annuity rates and premiums on insurance products. Men previously enjoyed higher annuity rates than [...]
Home rental costs down in November
The cost of renting a house in England and Wales fell by 0.4 per cent in November, its first dip since March, according to a survey by LSL Property Services. Average rent was £741m during the month, returning to the level seen in September. However, it was 3.4 per higher than in November last year. [...]
Lloyds TSB halts sale of packaged accounts in branches
Lloyds TSB will stop selling packaged account in its branches from 1 January 2013, until its sales procedures are brought into line with those operated by sister bank The Halifax. Lloyds TSB is one of the main providers of packaged accounts in Britain, with around one in three of its customers choosing to pay fees [...]
Housing market recovery to continue next year
Recent improvements in the housing market should continue into next year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Gross lending is estimated to have increased to £12.9 billion in November, helped by the Funding for Lending scheme which provides banks and building societies with lower-cost funding, which they are then supposed to pass on [...]
Newcastle Building Society exits interest-only mortgages
Newcastle Building Society has stopped offering interest-only mortgages to new borrowers, following the lead of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Nationwide, Co-operative bank and Coventry Building Society. The decision will not affect existing Newcastle customers and applications for interest-only mortgages received before 14 December will still be processed. Prior to the credit crunch, interest-only mortgages [...]
Less than half of Brits considered creditworthy
Fifty-seven per cent of UK adults are at risk of having an application for credit turned down by a mainstream lender according to a new report. The ‘Mind the Credit Gap‘ report commissioned by aqua credit cards suggests that even people with a good credit rating and earning more than £50,000 could have a credit [...]
Monthly incomes £22 lower in 2012
The average monthly income of UK households fell by £22 in real terms compared with last year, according to a survey carried out for the Bank of England (BoE) by NMG Consulting. People on lower incomes have seen their income eroded more than higher earners and households still have high levels of debt the BoE [...]
Savers dig deep to fund Christmas
New research from the Halifax suggests that savers are funding their Christmas spending with money set aside for other purposes. Thirty-seven per cent of 2,138 savers surveyed by the bank at the end of November had withdrawn savings in the last three months. The average amount withdrawn was £1,186, more than double the average savings [...]
Financial data at risk from unsafe passwords
According to a survey by the Payments Council the problem of having to remember a different password for several accounts means that many internet users are compromising the security of their financial data. Internet users have 22 password-protected accounts on average and many use the same log-in details for more than one account, even though [...]
Wonga launches Paylater loans on retailer website
Payday loan company Wonga has launched a new Paylater service on furniture firm Cotswold Company’s website. The service, which allows customers to “buy now, pay later” will be introduced on other retailers’ sites in the near future. Although the Paylater branding is similar to Wonga’s, the Wonga name only appears in the small print. A [...]
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