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July 24, 2007
by Gill Montia
Consumers are to receive greater legal protection from estate agents guilty of malpractice.
The Consumer, Estate Agents and Redress Act will provide an independent ombudsman to investigate complaints and, where appropriate, award compensation to buyers and sellers who have been badly treated.
At the present time 60% of estate agents belong to a voluntary scheme run by the Ombudsman for Estate Agents but the new legislation will require ...
July 23, 2007
by Elaine Frei
Equities markets in the Asia-Pacific region were mixed on Monday. Gainers included Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index, which added 0.32 percent to 23,365.56. In Taiwan, the Taiex gained 0.37 percent to 9,621.57, while in India the Sensex was 1.07 percent higher to 15,732.2. In China, meanwhile, the Shanghai Composite closed at 4,213.36, a gain of 3.81 percent.
Indices seeing declines ...
by Kay Murchie
Home insurance applications have increased significantly since June in the areas affected by floods. The price comparison website, moneysupermaket.com, said that applications from the residents in the West Midlands, Hull, Doncaster and Sheffield increased by 300% in June, compared with May.
A spokesperson for moneysupermaket.com has commented that homeowners who escaped the floods have realised that they could have been faced ...
by Kay Murchie
According to the British Bankers Association’s annual report, banking services in the UK are cheaper than those in any other developed country. The British Bankers Association commissioned the independent economic consultancy, Oxera, to study 11 countries and research found that banking costs in the UK are lower than those of their overseas equivalent. In addition, UK customers have access to ...
by Kay Murchie
The Post Office has established that nearly half of UK holidaymakers anticipate using their credit card to shop abroad, accounting for an approximate spend of around £9.4 billion but they could be wasting a vast amount of money on unnecessary fees.
Most credit cards charge, on average, 2.75% for each transaction made abroad. However, it’s not just credit card providers, many ...
by Gill Montia
The Halifax has published its latest quarterly regional house price report which shows a widening gap between average property prices in the north and south of the UK.
House price inflation in London has reached a point where the average cost of at home, at £313,000, is double that of the average cost in the north of the country.
Prices in Greater London rose ...
by Gill Montia
Research from Nationwide has highlighted the most important things to consider when selling a property.
The building society has been surveying buyers to establish the key things likely to put them off making a purchase when viewing a potential new home.
According to the research, a clutter-free environment is important to 55% of potential buyers, while nearly 70% can not see themselves moving into a house with odours, ...
July 20, 2007
by Elaine Frei
Asia-Pacific equities markets saw gains on Friday. In India, the Sensex added 0.1 percent to 15,565.55, while in Australia the Sydney Ordinaries gained 0.6 percent to 6,457.7. The Hang Seng index was 1.2 percent higher to 23,291.9 in Hong Kong, while in Singapore the Straits Times index gained 1.3 percent to 3,651.38. The advances were smaller in Tokyo, ...
by Kay Murchie
Swinton Group has acquired commercial insurance broker Rockford Insurance Brokers. Swinton said the deal will significantly increase its business to business offering and will complement the work of its existing commercial division, Swinton Business. Rockford will be keeping all members of staff and will continue to trade under the same name for the foreseeable future.
Rockford was founded in 2001 by Allan Hardill and ...
by Kay Murchie
According to APACS, the payments services body, an increasing amount of UK holidaymakers are becoming victims of credit card fraud. Levels of credit card fraud are at their lowest levels for 3 years, primarily due to the chip and PIN system.
The total sum of money lost to credit card fraud in the UK dropped 3% in 2006, to £428 ...
by Kay Murchie
A new credit card has been introduced by Barclaycard called Barclaycard Football. Following football will be easier for fans as they will receive 0% interest offers on season ticket purchases and balance transfers and reward points.
Football supporters will receive 0% on balance transfers for one year (2.5% fee) and 0% on season ticket purchases (minimum spend is £250) until the cost of the ...
by Gill Montia
Halifax, the UK's biggest mortgage lender, has raised its house price inflation forecast for the year, after house prices rose faster than expected in the first six months of 2007.
Despite the rise in interest rates, the UK's biggest mortgage lender now expects house price inflation during 2007 to be 6% rather than 4%, as forecast earlier in the year.
Halifax attributes the ...
by Gill Montia
John Charcol, the independent mortgage adviser, has reported that swap rates for fixed-rate mortgages are continuing to increase and currently stand at around 6.32%.
Many lenders, including Abbey, Bank of Ireland, Halifax and Northern Rock, have been re-pricing their fixed-rates mortgages on at least a monthly basis since the base rate rise of January this year.
The broker expects interest rates to rise ...
July 19, 2007
by Elaine Frei
...
by Gill Montia
Mortgage lending reached high levels in June but is now showing signs of slowing down.
According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), June lending was at its highest since November 2006, at £34.2 billion, but the figures include a large number of people who were re-mortgaging after their fixed-rate mortgage terms had come to an end.
Taking these borrowers out of the equation, ...
by Kay Murchie
Defaqto, the financial product research business, is advising homeowners to check their insurance policies carefully rather than just opting for the cheapest quote, particularly since the recent increase in applications for home insurance cover by homes susceptible to flooding.
Since the appearance of Defaqto Compare! on find.co.uk, people can now see whether their policies meet, exceed or fall short ...
by Kay Murchie
NatWest is to enter into a partnership with PKO Bank Polski, Poland's leading retail bank to strengthen its product offering to Polish customers.
Research amongst the Polish community shows that Polish customers living in the UK are sending home £528 million per year. In addition, research shows that the Polish community are looking to settle in the UK and 58% are ...
by Gill Montia
New research from AA Legal Services suggests that two-thirds of young Britons taking their first steps on the property ladder are facing unexpected costs in home ownership because they failed to carry out routine checks.
According to the research, 20% of 18 to 29 year-olds new to home ownership omitted to carry out any basic assessments of their property before agreeing to buy it.
As a result, 66% ...
July 18, 2007
by Elaine Frei
Most Asia-Pacific equities markets were lower again on Wednesday. India’s Sensex index was an exception, but it only added 0.07 percent to 15,301.17. In Australia, the Sydney Ordinaries dropped 0.79 percent to 6,367.2, while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong fell 0.93 percent to 22,841.92 and the Straits Times index in Singapore was 1.68 percent lower to 3,583.97. ...
by Kay Murchie
UK insurers are being faced with bills of around £1.5 billion following the floods in June. Approximately 31,000 homes and 7,000 businesses have been affected, primarily in the north of England and the Midlands.
Agents from the insurance industry have met with government ministers to discuss how to deal with the cost of claims. According to the Association of British Insurers ...
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Consumers are to receive greater legal protection from estate agents guilty of malpractice.
The Consumer, Estate Agents and Redress Act will provide an independent ombudsman to investigate complaints and, where appropriate, award compensation to buyers and sellers who have been badly treated.
At the present time 60% of estate agents belong to a voluntary scheme run by the Ombudsman for Estate Agents but the new legislation will require ...
Equities markets in the Asia-Pacific region were mixed on Monday. Gainers included Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index, which added 0.32 percent to 23,365.56. In Taiwan, the Taiex gained 0.37 percent to 9,621.57, while in India the Sensex was 1.07 percent higher to 15,732.2. In China, meanwhile, the Shanghai Composite closed at 4,213.36, a gain of 3.81 percent.
Indices seeing declines ...
Asia-Pacific equities markets saw gains on Friday. In India, the Sensex added 0.1 percent to 15,565.55, while in Australia the Sydney Ordinaries gained 0.6 percent to 6,457.7. The Hang Seng index was 1.2 percent higher to 23,291.9 in Hong Kong, while in Singapore the Straits Times index gained 1.3 percent to 3,651.38. The advances were smaller in Tokyo, ...
Most Asia-Pacific equities markets were lower again on Wednesday. India’s Sensex index was an exception, but it only added 0.07 percent to 15,301.17. In Australia, the Sydney Ordinaries dropped 0.79 percent to 6,367.2, while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong fell 0.93 percent to 22,841.92 and the Straits Times index in Singapore was 1.68 percent lower to 3,583.97. ...