Despite stores offering tempting cut-price deals, shoppers are in a cautious mood in the run up to Christmas according to a high street banking report. Although retail sales were up in October, there was little demand for loans and overdrafts according the British Bankers’ Association (BBA), and while consumers spent a total of £7.2 billion [...]
New figures from Sainsbury’s Bank suggest that nearly two million credit card holders intend to switch providers over the next year, when their 0 per cent balance transfer offer expires. A further 900,000 card holders will switch when their 0 per cent purchase deal expires, according to the bank’s latest research. After the introductory offer [...]
As part of its ‘On Your Side’ campaign Nationwide Building Society has launched a credit card reward scheme which should make shopping more enjoyable for its customers. The scheme, which is available to the building society’s Visa debit and credit card customers, is designed to help their money go further. It offers discounts at several [...]
Banking giant HSBC has today announced it has disposed of its US credit card division to Capital One Financial, as part of a global strategic cost-cutting exercise. The announcement comes shortly after the bank said it would slash its underperforming US branch network by half and also announced it would axe 30,000 jobs globally in [...]
The UK Cards Association has today revealed that credit and debit card fraud continues to decline. According to the Association, fraud losses on UK credit and debit cards totalled £365.4 million in the 2010 year – a drop of 17% compared with 2009. The figure represented a 10-year low and compares with the record high [...]
Consumer group Which? is concerned about surcharges imposed on to consumers who pay by debit or credit cards. It has therefore asked the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to investigate the matter – which sees retailers, local authorities, estate agents and cinemas all impose the charges. However, the “worst offenders” are said to be budget [...]
A report from the homeless charity, Shelter, has revealed that in the last year, 2.6 million Britons have paid their mortgage or rent on their credit card. The figure represents a rise of 50% on the previous year and reveals the extraordinary lengths some are going to in order to keep a roof over their [...]
As part of a crackdown on credit cards and store cards, the Government is considering capping interest rates in a bid to get the consumer a fairer deal. Following the Government’s review into consumer borrowing, Consumer Minister, Edward Davey, and Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Mark Hoban, have asked industry experts for their views as [...]
The UK Cards Association has today revealed that credit and debit card fraud continues to decline. According to the Association, fraud losses on UK credit and debit cards totalled £187 million in the first six months of 2010 – a fall of 20%. The group attributed the ongoing fall to a number of factors – [...]
Figures from the Bank of England today revealed that British households opted to repay loans and overdrafts last month. The figures are evidence that consumers are concerned about the uncertainty surrounding the economy and massive spending cuts, opting not to go further into debt. According to the Bank of England, consumers repaid a net £120 [...]
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has today said complaints rose in the first half of 2010. According to the FOS, it received 84,212 new complaints between 1 January and 30 June 2010 – with more than half of these about the top five banks. Lloyds Banking Group, which is 43% owned by the taxpayer, was [...]
UK banks are facing mounting losses from credit card customers, with figures from the Bank of England showing write-offs rising to £2.1 billion in the three months to the end of June, up from £1.3 billion in previous quarter. According to a BBC report, the 2010 total for bad credit card debt now looks set [...]
Every year British consumers waste £150 million on late payment credit card charges, Confused.com has revealed. Research by the price comparison site found one in four (26%) credit card holders have been charged at least once in the last 12 months for missing a late payment. Nearly one in 11 (8.5%) have been charged three [...]
The era of debt-fuelled consumer spending is over, a financial expert has claimed, pointing out Britain’s consumer debts of nearly £1.5 trillion. Tim Moss, head of loans at moneysupermarket.com, seemed to be talking himself out of a job by claiming consumers can no longer afford to fund purchases on borrowed money. Consumers must face up [...]
One in three Brits risk a financial holiday hangover by paying for their holiday using debt, according to new research. Research by Bright Grey found 32% of holidaymakers will pay for this summer’s break using a credit card, travel agent payment plan, or by borrowing money from family and friends. Sun-seekers will borrow an average [...]
Financial pundits have praised Halifax’s new Clarity credit card for its simplicity, but warned it may not be the best deal for customers looking to borrow money long term. Moneynet.co.uk welcomed the Clarity’s easy to understand fees, with no complex introductory offer and just one rate of interest for purchases, balance transfers and cash withdrawals. [...]
Figures from the Bank of England today have revealed credit card write-offs continue to rise. During the first three months of 2010, write-offs rose to £1.25 billion – the second highest quarterly amount on record. The situation has deteriorated in the recession as thousands of people have been unable to afford their repayments, due to [...]
Transferring your credit card balance to a new card with a 0% rate on balance transfers is a much cheaper way to pay off debt, even when balance transfer fees are taken into account, a financial expert has claimed. Andrew Hagger of Moneynet.co.uk said the typical 3% one-off fee for balance transfers is significantly less [...]
Transferring your credit card balance to a new card with a 0% rate on balance transfers is a much cheaper way to pay off debt, even when balance transfer fees are taken into account, a financial expert has claimed. Andrew Hagger of Moneynet.co.uk said the typical 3% one-off fee for balance transfers is significantly less [...]
Using a credit card to pay household bills is “financial suicide”, an insolvency expert has claimed. Richard Sorsky, of the UK Insolvency Helpline Debt Advice Service, warned consumers against using their credit card to pay their mortgage, tax, and other financial commitments. Credit cards should be reserved for emergency use only, he said. “Consumers are [...]
Phone fraudsters stealing bank card pins
Fraudsters using a phone scam to trick bank card holders into revealing their pin numbers stole £750,000 in the first four months of this year. This is the same amount stolen through this scam in the whole of last year. The fraudster telephones a bank customer, often someone elderly or vulnerable, telling them that their [...]
FSA rules out ban on interest-only mortgages
Speculation that the Financial Services Authority would ban interest-only mortgages as part of its Mortgage Market Review has proved to be unfounded. However, lenders will be required to monitor the performance of the investment product taken out by the customer to repay the mortgage at the end of its term. Investments are performing poorly because [...]
Bank of England may end free in-credit banking
A director of the Bank of England has warned that official intervention could be considered to end the ‘dangerous myth of free in-credit banking’. Andrew Bailey has already spoken out against free banking in relation to the mis-selling of financial products. In a speech made available to media, he reiterated his concern, saying that it [...]
Bank of England votes against more economic stimulus
The Bank of England voted against a further round of quantitative easing, at its latest Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. Just one member, David Miles, voted for further asset purchase to encourage growth in the UK economy, while the other eight members voted to keep the Bank’s quantitative easing programme steady at £325bn. The minutes [...]
Catalogue debt growing says helpline
Calls from people concerned about their debts with mail order catalogues accounted for more than 12 per cent of all calls received by National Debtline last year, compared with just 8 per cent in 2007. More people were concerned about catalogue debt than about payday loans, mortgage or rent, according to the Money Advice Trust [...]
Homeserve faces mis-selling investigation
HomeServe, which provides emergency insurance cover and domestic repairs to households in the UK, is to be investigated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Issues over the possible mis-selling of household emergency policies were uncovered last October during an internal review at the Walsall-based company. Homeserve’s call centre staff were found to be selling ‘Complete [...]
OFT warns Wonga over debt collection methods
Payday loan company Wonga used aggressive and misleading methods to collect debts from customers, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has found. Wonga sent letter and emails to certain customers suggesting they had committed fraud and threatening to report them to the police if they did not act in the way Wonga suggested. The company [...]
NS&I re-launches investment account
National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has re-launched its Investment Account at a higher interest rate than it previously offered. The account now offers 0.75 per cent before tax, compared with between 0.2 and 0.3 per cent previously, depending on the account balance. Deposits and withdrawals on the account can no longer be made at Post [...]
Rightmove reports property downsizing trend
Two in five property owners planning to sell in the next year are planning to ‘trade down’, compared with one in four who plan to ‘trade up’. A survey by property website Rightmove found that moving to a smaller home is the main reason for moving in nine out of the ten regions in the [...]
More people failing to save for retirement
The proportion of people with no pension savings has grown from 20 per cent to 22 per cent over the past year, according to Scottish Widows’ latest survey. The pension provider surveyed 5,200 adults in the UK, aged 30 or over, and earning at least £10,000 a year, for its annual review of pensions. Ian [...]
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